Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235 
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
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Post by Darth Xitan on Feb 15, 2024 15:52:29 GMT -8
For a time, Xitan was merely silent... save for a few coughs as his lungs breathed and his body adjusted to being conscious. The Sith attempted to move one of his arms and, for a time, he didn't really feel anything. There was a heaviness, but he didn't feel muscle soreness nor strain. Likely, the Acolyte would feel it in the morning though and soon enough curse the unnamed Sith for untapping his potential. Yet, at the same time, Xitan was more the grateful. For the first time, in a long while, he felt power, absolute power, power that could and should be his to wield. Even now, an echo of that which he had drawn upon still tingled within the nerves around his heart. What a rush that was!
Slowly, his legs began to move, but Xitan did not dare rise. If he could not feel anything now, doubtful it would be beneficial to a recover. Instead, using what grip he had in his hands, the Sith moved to allow himself to rest against the wall of the cave they occupied. His right arm resting lazily upon a rock. His left arm moved to allow his fingers to rub the bridge of his nose and then his eyes some. Blinking a few times, Xitan could feel his vision returning to normality.
There, he saw Dragus, and the Fabricator General, conversing just ahead of them. Something about Viox, family, kin, whatever. Turning now to his right, he saw the cave, the way they had come. Then turning to his left, Xitan noticed Elarinya and Sirona. They seemed to have come out of it unscathed... the Acolyte sighs and leans back, resting his head against the stone upon the wall. His silence endured as he looked upward at the ceiling of the tunnel they occupied. Then suddenly, his taste buds came back and Xitan felt he was about to hurl. An awful taste existed within his mouth and throat! What the in the blasted nova was that?! This did make him cough a few more times.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338 
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Post by Darth Sirona on Feb 16, 2024 11:49:00 GMT -8
Seeing the sorry state Xitan was still in, Sirona grabbed the wineskin and moved over to the acolyte. She sat down next to him and between bouts of coughing, she would offer him the wine. Water would have been preferable, but any water down here would no doubt be contaminated to the core and back with Cortosis and mine runoff. The historian let her guard down a bit as Dragus seemed confident in the parties safety here, at least for now so she was able to focus on the suffering man before her.
Lacking much energy herself, her means of supernatural healing was absent, but she had studied some amounts of anatomy, though it was usually only practiced on the already long dead. All the same she set about trying to see where she could, if at all, help Xitan. Just take some deep and slow breaths. Seems we are safe for now, so no need to push yourself. She reached out and grabbed Xitan's left hand. She held it palm up in her own hand while with two fingers from her other hand checked his pulse. It was stabilizing. But in all honesty, she had become distracted. Hold his hand was, different... It felt like there was something between them, some energy. Sirona glanced at his handsome face again, and caught herself blushing. Quickly she put Xitan's hand down and stood up again. Just keep resting, but try not to loose consciousness again.
With that she walked back over to Elarinya and sat down, again drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them before burying her ever reddening face in them. Why was she so drawn to this person who had been nothing but cold and indifferent to her. It angered her her fingers dug into her shoulders as she tightened both her embrace of her legs and her hold on her shoulders. All she wanted in this moment was to be back in the little reading nook she had found in the Sith Academy on Iridonia with a book to be her sole focus. Why was everything now so complicated?
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Post by Elarinya on Feb 18, 2024 15:14:50 GMT -8
When Sirona got up and moved over to where Xitan had startled himself awake over against a rock, Ela turned her focus over to the conversation ongoing between Valefor and Dragus. She did her best not to appear too interested, but also not look too aloof and obvious in her eavesdropping. How successful she was, was debatable. What ever the case was, she only caught parts of what they were discussing. Her main take away was that Dragus was not necessarily all there all the time. A fact which didn't necessarily make her trust him less but it did justify the suspicion with which she treated him.
What ever this curse was, Ela was unclear about. The man spoke in riddles and madness equally, making it difficult to ascertain what was real and what was not. What ever the case may be, she had already committed herself to protecting Sirona - even if that meant protecting her from her own Uncle.
She reached forward and collected a bowl of the soup and a stick with which some mushrooms had been roasting as she sensed Sirona's presence returning from behind her. Figuring the Librarian's diet would likely be incompatible with the rat soup, Ela handed off the grilled mushrooms to Sirona whilst tentatively drinking the soup. It wasn't ideal and was far short of a proper meal, but it was better than nothing and should help get her through until they returned to the surface again. She wrapped her arm around Sirona's shoulders, not only to share what little warmth existed in these cold depths, but to try help comfort her
Are you ok? Beside the obvious...
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Feb 18, 2024 17:41:37 GMT -8
It was a weird moment to watch and listen as Dragus acted and spoke so seriously about his own mortality and cursed future. Perhaps that was why he had embraced chaos so much on so many an occasion. Why worry about the future when you already knew the point to which it was all heading and for which there was nothing you could do to stop it. Embrace your fate and have fun along the way. It was a mindset he could respect, especially given his and Ela's own cursed fates for which they were cursed forever to Chaos... or nothingness.
The best outcome would be having his soul bound for all eternity in that hell-scape, where he could rule and reign at the right hand of Anima. But being obliterated into nothingness? Just because he was born a Pureblood? No, that was not a fate he could so easily accept like Dragus. The Immortal Emperors had all managed some form of Immortality of their own, with Vitiate being the most successful of them all. But where they had failed, Valefor intended to succeed. Two stones were all the remained to complete the Caestus and achieve part of his goal.
His thoughts were drawn back to the conversation as Dragus recounted his history with Viox and their... familial bond. One forged by their commitment to the Order of the Eye. Soon enough, though, the curse upon Viox's line was revealed: not something so practical as many a Sith Curse. Rather a religious one, born of the desecration of Pzob by the Blackguard. The sins of the Father become the sins of the Child.
But at the very least, Dragus had seemingly seen logic enough to not try carry out such punishment and seek out another path. A path which meant his own... daughter remained alive. He was still unsure of the relationship between her and the Witch, but he could guess she was fool enough to try protect the white haired wonder that was part of her life. Still, there could yet be time in which that may change
I know little of this Craxious, but you may find the Supreme One is not the only person against which you may find contest against your claim where Sirona is concerned...
He reached down and grabbed a bowl of the soup to down it much like a shot, before grabbing the bladder and chasing the soup with the bloodwine. Neither was particularly satisfying and filling, but he had not packed for a long venture down here and so would be gracious for that which was provided
An interesting tale to be sure. At the very least a fate with you seems a great deal better than what ever end Viox may have met. But I will thank you for not killing Sirona, and in turn, my... Daughter... In matters unrelated, I suppose as thanks I can let you know that the Eye of Astera sits above Hypori, finished and ready for our next venture.
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,408
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Feb 19, 2024 6:49:03 GMT -8
"THE EYE?!" Dragus exclaimed loudly, then quickly became more keenly aware of his surroundings as his voice echoed down the tunnel in either direction, repeating his two words as a slowly fading mantra. Mildly embarrassed, the excited senior saurian held a claw over the front of his snout, lowering his voice considerably. "Oh my. What wonderouz newz. Did you hear that, Sssqueak..." Then he stopped himself mid-speech to turn his snout side to side, sniffing the air, then scowling before scratching his chin ponderously. "That'z right, he'z not here. Well, I mussst share thiz newz with sssomeone. Holding in secretz iz how you get ulcerz." Plucking the sizzling skewer with the headless rat carcass on it, the black scaled barabel snapped his jaws and the cooked rat simply disappeared, charred bone skewer and all. As he mulched up the tiny bones in the corner of his mouth, he reached into the alchemy satchel on the left side of his hip and remove a glass philter from its depths, containing a lilac hued substance. The sagely saurian popped the cork stopper with his thumb talon, then poured the contents of the bottle into his open maw, straight down his throat and into the first of his two stomachs. The amethyst gem in the mad alchemist's crackled with an arcane discharge and purple wisps of smoke began to hiss from his nostril slits. Taking a step towards the fire, the Dark Apothecary grabbed the sides of his belly and bent over, belching out an expanding cloud of cloying smoke in the form of an obscuring pungent purple mist."BBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" As the smoke poured from the Famine Lord's throat, it was swallowed up by the base of the corpse camp fire and sucked up through the hot centre, then expelled out the top of the blaze in the form of a shimmering veil in the air. Raising the glowing ruby pommel of the Gorgon's Eye, the Dark Apothecary focused his thoughts and projected the image he desired into the semi-translucent curtain of sparkling smoke. Above the moss fueled fire a circular ring began to take shape, comprised of smoke but detailed clearly enough to tell that it was a hyperspace ring, rather than a ring that would fit on ones finger. Next a ghostly smoke version of an Allegiance-class Battlecruiser slid into the centre, suggesting the ring had been designed on a massive scale. The illusionary hyperspace ring circled the camp fire as though it were orbiting a star."Feassst your eyez on the Eye of Assstera." Growled the old drake, banging the back of a closed claw on his chest as he coughed out the last of the alchemical smoke. "It'z a hyperssspace ring capable of jumping the great length acrosss the interssstellar void between galaxiez. Usssing Darth Astera'z technical geniuz, Valefor'z forge empire, and my alchemically enhanced fuel, we've devisssed a meanz to reach ill fabled Peridea." Facing the others while standing behind the fire, the crazed crocodilian's countenance was heinously highlighted, fangs dripping wet and maw stretched wide in an expression of absolute hunger. "Ancessstral home of the Witch Kingdom of the Dathmiri. Imagine the secretz waiting to be unearthed by thossse with the visssion and courage to crosss the emptinesss of the intergalactic void." A suitable location to store his soon to hatch leviathan larvae that were currently in cold hibernation, stored safely aboard the SE Allegience-class Battlecruiser 'Vitiate'. Additionally, if things didn't work out like he planned with the spiders, the Eye of Astera would make an excellent lifeboat for Dragus and his followers to start over in a new, non-spider occupied galaxy.Raising his left claw, the Hungering One flexed his talons, obsidian meat hooks glinting as the fire reflected off their polished surface. He held his index finger scalpel over his lips. "Thiz iz all top sssecret of courssse, ssso I will trussst thossse of you gathered here to keep thiz information to yourselvez, or I'll be forced to pluck out your eyez and cut out your tonguez. Siss, Siss, Siss." Crimson flecks misted from his moist lips as the crooked crocodile cackled, tapping the tip of his saber-cane on the hard ground next to the fire. "I kid, but really, az the expresssion goez: loossse lipz sssink ssstar destroyerz." He took another puff of pipe weed then turned his head, his snout staring in the direction they would need to go in order to emerge from the underground. A path that would take them straight through the verminous under-empire of Dragusblight, home of the warring ranat clans that comprised the bulk of the Sith Eternal's manual labour force. A dangerous place even at the best of times, it was made even more deadly by the fact that the subterranean kingdom was currently besieged by... His scaled brow furrowed as the narcotic spice he was smoking muddied his memory and addled his wits. Dragus completely lost his train of thought. He returned his attention to the others. "I sssuppose that meanz I have more incentive to lead you all out of here alive. Siss, Siss, Siss. Well, bessst get sssome shut-eye while you can."He walked around the fire to where Sirona had propped Xitan up against the wall. Dragus turned his cane around in his claws and placed the ruby red orb under the Acolyte's chin, raising his head as he inspected the Sith's pale complexion. "Ah, Xitan. You're looking much better. My potion mussst have helped. I'll prepare another, in the event you haven't risssen by the time we need to depart." He leaned in, his snout next to the Acolyte's ear so he could feel Dragus' rancid breath against his cheek and neck. "You have two hourz, little brother."
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Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
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Post by Darth Xitan on Feb 28, 2024 17:23:39 GMT -8
Was he... seeing things? Maybe an after effect of immense power used was dulling his senses or perhaps making him see things, but Xitan swore that, for several seconds, Sirona had come over and assisted him. Even propped him up, checked his pulse, spoke to him. However, when the Sith thought he was seeing things, there was something that jolted his senses when their hands touched. The Force reacted to it, the Dark Side swirled about them for a moment. Xitan hadn't felt something like this before and it made him wonder if what the Sith spirit had said was true: that Dragus had done something between himself and Sirona. Yet, investigating it meant using more of his focus and, right now, Xitan felt the room and the world was spinning. As Sirona pulled back, the Acolyte coughed again, spitting out more of the potion that Dragus had given him in his unconscious state.
Wiping his mouth, his eyes looked upward, but kept his silence as the Dark Apothecary went into one of his usual reveals. Xitan spat a bit more off to the side before his own eyes now drifted over to Sirona. His left hand flexed, feeling what had been felt before. The Dark Side stirring and the Force reacting to their proximity. He thoughts were intruded upon as Dragus came up now, acknowledging the awaken Acolyte. Looking at the Saurian, Xitan scoffs slightly.
Unnecessary machinery... bigger target for pirates and enemies...
His remarks on the so called 'Eye of Astera'. Hyperspace rings were heavily utilized by the Jedi during the Clone Wars, their Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors having connected to similar technology once before. A significant battle involved such hyperspace rings being targeted and blasted to bits by the Confederacy Navy. However, if the stories were true about where Dragus was going, regular hyperspace travel wouldn't really work.
Listening to the Saurian once more was replied with a glare by Xitan. It was more the annoyance of his post-berserk condition. And the suspicion of the Force connection that he had felt between himself and Sirona... that was more because of not knowing why Dragus had done it, if his suspicions were true. The Sith spirit did had to toy with him and unlock something that was dormant within him. The Acolyte's gloved hand grips the rock before thrusts backwards, grabbing hold of the wall as he hoisted himself slowly upward. His body certainly did not like what was happening, yet pain was a source of power and it had to be harnessed.
So where exactly are we now?
Xitan inquires as he manages to pull himself halfway up, utilizing the wall as support.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
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Post by Darth Sirona on Feb 29, 2024 10:31:50 GMT -8
Sirona nearly jumped out of her skin at the feeling of the arm being wrapped around her shoulders. This level of intimate contact was something she was not used to, platonic or not. The bookish Sith remained tense during the embrace, but relaxed just enough to take the soup that had been offered to her and she ate. It was meager, but then, on prolonged digs she had had less to live on. All the same her body seemed have needed at least some form of food, as her mood started to improve. She then noted that Xitan seemed to have woken and was conversing with Dragus, arguing about something. So needlessly combative. Even with that, Sirona felt relief that he was recovering. Staying where she was, Sirona gazed into the fire as her head rattled with the questions her two peers had asked "Are you okay?" and "So where exactly are we now?" both excellent questions that she did not have the answer to. At least to respond to Elarinya, and not be so rude, Sirona shrugged, not breaking her eyes away from the fire. It's been one whole Sith Conclave since I was "okay."
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Post by Elarinya on Feb 29, 2024 14:56:30 GMT -8
With Dragus tending to Xitan, Ela was better able to ignore his rousing as he seemed to finally be gaining more consciousness. Perhaps her father should have just left him back there to die upon the ice, or drown within the blood filled lake once the ice had sufficiently melted. However, there was something about Sirona's interactions with him since the tomb that made her second guess any immediate desire to cut him from her life. She was certain with time that what ever this mystery was, she would learn of it, but for now she focused on keeping Sirona protected and able to recover her strength so they could continue on and return to the surface. She smiled a little and let out a sharp but quick laugh
I know that feeling all too well... We'll get through what ever this is, and then you can have a nice long rest for a bit...
Not wishing to make Sirona any more uncomfortable than she was already, Ela removed her hand from around the Librarian's shoulder but stayed close as she turned her own gaze to the fire
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Feb 29, 2024 15:36:07 GMT -8
It came as little surprise how willingly and eager Dragus was to profess knowledge and secrets regarding the Eye of Astera. In truth, the project was at least
somewhat known amongst the Council, but beyond their number he was unsure. If it had been meant to be kept under wraps, then the number of people who knew about it had grown by 3. It didn't matter though, none of the trio really had much to gain from revealing such information. Xitan was already a Champion of the Eternal and his barrier to the next step of progression was one of power, not influence. As for Sirona and Elarinya, neither of them had joined the order yet and revealing they knew such secrets would only ensure their entrance to the afterlife. And he did not cherish the idea of having to bring them back from Chaos.
With Sirona and Elarinya talking somewhat conspiratorially on the other side of the fire, Valefor turned his attention to Xitan as the young welp thought to interject his opinion regarding the Hyperspace Ring
Unnecessary? I wasn't aware you were so knowledgeable and practiced in the art of crossing the vast and untamed void between galaxies? Perhaps the Dark Apothecary and the Director of Technological Advancements should have consulted yourself instead of coming to me... Could have saved a great deal of time and resources with your ingenious insight...
He let out a hearty chuckle as he tossed the skull cup into the flames
I'll keep watch, I've probably had the most rest so far...
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,408
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Mar 4, 2024 6:09:24 GMT -8
"Come now, Valefor..." Cooed the vile space crocodile as he seated himself next to the fire, crossing his legs and pooling his overlong tail coils into a pile behind him, which he leaned his back against. He rested his ornate saber-cane across his lap and held the bowl of his wooden pipe in his right claw, lowering it away from his slavering jaws. "...you are far too hard on the boy. There iz sssome truth in what he sayz. Indeed, the larger the bloated corpssse, the more fliez are drawn to itz rotting carcasss." His stomach gurgled and groaned, awoken by their talk of necromantic cuisine. Dragus leaned forwards and snatched one of the skull cups from the fire, bringing its bubbling contents to his lips, then dipped a forked tongue into the bloody broth to lap up its shroom speckled contents. He explained himself between sips of his subterranean stew. "The reality iz my hell-drive would be a far more effective meanz of leaping the great length of the interssstellar void between galaxiez. Sssadly, the prototype waz dessstroyed along with the ship it waz inssstalled upon after I sssuccessfully usssed it to breach the dimensssional barrier of Otherssspace. Even if I could repair it, the device requirez vassst quantitiez of anti-Force energy in order to operate, of which itz storez are ssseverely depleted after itz inaugural trial." Raising the skull cup, he poured the remainder of its contents into his mouth and smacked his jaws, swallowing down the boiling rat blood in an audible gulp. He dragged the back of his feathered sleeve across his lips, then added the emptied skull to the blaze in front of him. "In the absssence of an adequate alternative power sssource, a masssive hyperdrive ring waz the next logical choice. Itz ssskeleton iz sssufficiently large enough to hossst the numerouz hyperdrive enginez required to generate enough ssspeed to sssuccessfully crosss the great dissstance, while providing enough room for troopz, suppliez, and a complement of sssupport craft. It haz meanz enough to defend itssself in the unlikely event it encounterz the paltry pecking of piratez." He scratched his chin thoughtfully with a talon, each scrape sounding like a sword blade grinding against a whetstone. "Failing that, I imagine the Allegiance-classs battlecruissser it will be docked with should prove a sssuitable deterrent. As for enemiez..." His lips peeled back in a wet retraction over his frightful fangs, twisting upwards and outwards in a horrifically hungry smile, scaled cheeks creaking like old leather. "...the only onez that know of itz existence are here, on Roon. Our reluctant alliez might be bold enough to make a move againssst me, or Valefor, or even Assstera. But againssst the three of uz united in purpossse? They haven't the gall. Short of the Sssupreme One lifting hiz wrinkled arssse from the polished ssseat of hiz throne to oppossse uz, there isssn't anyone capable of ssstanding in our way." Discharges of amethyst lightning crackled across the multi-faceted gem set in the villainous drake's left eye, while the shadow of his seated form cast by the fire on the tunnel wall behind the draconian seemed to swell in size. "We will reach Peridia, claim itz treasurez, unlock itz secretz, and harnesss itz abundance of ichor to power a temporal gateway..."Dragus stopped himself mid-speech. Perhaps he had said too much. If his compatriots realized the sheer scale and scope of the interdimensional conflict he was entangled in, they would surely seek safe passage aboard his only lifeboat away from a dying galaxy. His forked tongue slithered across his lips, licking away beads of congealing rat blood. He thrummed the talons of his left claw upon his boney knee. "Well, I shouldn't get ahead of myssself. Firssst we mussst essscape thessse sssubterranean depthz. Fortunately we are not far from the Poissson Marshez of Northern Dragusssblight, home of Clan Ssskrittlespike. Verminlord Ssskeer Grimssspine ssstill owez me a favour after that businesss on Kamino and will sssurely grant uz accesss to the rat-way beneath the Fortresss of Tawntoom. We'll be back beneath the endlesss night of tidal locked Roon'z dark ssside before lunchtime tomorrow." The corners of his mouth widened just a bit further, stretching impossibly beyond the sides of his snout, his riot of teeth splayed in a chainsaw smile. "Trussst me."Trust me, says the Liar King, who thus far had been anything but truthful. That was not to say that he was lying currently about anything specific; however, he had chosen to omit a few details that his companions might find interesting. Such as the fact that these tunnels that ran beneath Roon's surface were rarely this quiet. If they had made this journey a few years ago, their group would have been set upon by roving ranat reavers or ambushed by a band of banat bandits lurking amongst the cavernous stalagmites. This close to the borders of Dragusblight there should be much more activity. Slave wagons bearing tender fleshed prisoners to the under-kitchens where the meat was to be prepared for hungry rodent broodmares, trains of cortosis ore to be smelted in the vermin forges and transformed into wicked instruments of war or minted into Dragcoins, packs of feral flesh and fur eating ranats from the exiled cannibal clan that shall not be named. They had thus far seen none of these sights so common to the under-way. At the very least they should have been intercepted by one of the cyber rat-dogs that Clan Rustrot used as scouts. The quiet they were experiencing was most unusual.As night turned to day or day turned to night, it was unclear this far from the surface as the magnetic field produced by Roon's molten core made their instruments generally unreliable, they heard not but the sound of the crackling camp fire. For his part the Dark Apothecary appeared to be meditating next to the smouldering coals, with the scaled lid over his bloody right eye closed while the left remained firmly fixed open. He breathed in through his flaring nostrils and out through his mouth, exhaling rancid steam with every hot exhalation. Yet from his posture he appeared far from relaxed, the scales of his brow were furrowed in strain, his lip curling into a distasteful scowl that revealed his growing frustration. Despite outward appearances, he wasn't meditating. Each inhalation provided his potent olfactory senses with a million new scent particles to dissect and determine, analyzing his environment like a super computing blood-hound. Further down the tunnel, in the direction they would be heading soon, he could detect the cold damp of the marshes and even the rotting wood of a sea rat scow that had found its way to subterranean north from the Sea of Roon by way of the underground rivers that ran beneath the surface of the planet. He could practically taste the parasitic tendrils of blackvine that made the Poison Marshes such a dangerous place to traverse on foot, but of rodent spore...there was little he could scent, only the old fleeting stink of wet fur that was already fading with time.Worrisome. If the vermin-kin were elsewhere, it could only mean that events had taken a turn for the worst. He-Who-Hungers' plan relied heavily on Skeer's assumed assistance, but if the verminlord had been drawn away to deal with another interdimensional intrusion by the charon, the Great Devourer was uncertain what sort of reception they would receive by the castellan of Fort Bloodthorn. They would need to be cautious.When approximately two hours had passed, the Great Devourer's right eye snapped open. It was time to get moving again. Cartilage cracked and sinew snapped as the deranged old draconian rose to his feet with an audible groan, resting his right palm on his saber-cane for support, even if his weighted tail kept him otherwise perfectly balanced. "Rissse and shine, my children." Hissed the mad drake, tapping the butt of his cane incessantly on the cold stone ground in an echoing series of strikes. He took a moment to relieve his bladder on the low burning blaze of the camp fire, putting out the embers with his pungent yellow stream. When he was done, he pointed his walking stick down the dark tunnel, that stretched for another kilometer of darkness before finally opening up into the so called Poison Marshes, a sickly subterranean swamp contaminated with cortosis and corrupted by the darksides influence over the land. "Gather your thingz and let'z be off." He tapped again loudly, each blow serving to sound their position to any that might be listening. He then held a talon over the end of his snout. "And keep your voicez low." Whisper-hissed the saurian Sith. "The marshez are home to more than jussst mice."
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Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
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Post by Darth Xitan on Mar 31, 2024 21:39:59 GMT -8
Xitan managed to move himself from the wall, forcing himself through the pain and numbness.
I trust the judgment and technical mindset of the Director, Fabricator-General.
One of the few that, oddly, didn't get involved with the politics that was usually shouted among her fellow peers.
She, with you, likely ensured Lord Dragus didn't make it too large and that it was properly armed. Not to mention be covered in the technology of his Ranats. It would have likely blown up in hyperspace if that were the case. Then more than simply a ship would be lost.
The Acolyte feels one of his legs go stiff as he tried to move. Damnable condition he was left in, but likely done so as another trial by whatever shadow was lurking just beyond their group. Even now, Xitan felt eyes from beyond, watching and observing. And it certainly wasn't the rats. Considering it sounded like a colony and a heart of them lurked below the surface of these cortosis mines. Forcing himself onward, Xitan used the wall whenever he could to keep moving forward, following where Dragus was taking them now.
Every so often though, Xitan glanced at where Nidana was. His mask was long gone now, so it was easy to notice his observations. The Force was strange about them now, the Darkness practically feeding on the connection that was still not yet fully understood or known by him. Still, it was the fact that she came over to assist and help him. Suppose Xitan would owe her something back in the future... debts weren't something he didn't want lurking over him.
His attention was altered to the great colony of Ranats, the Dragusblight as the Dark Apothecary indicated. Wonderful, thought the Sith, more Ranats. Just as damnable as the Ewok assistants that were now all over the place thanks to the Saurian. Still, the fact the ranats built something beneath the surface of Roon in such a quick time. Naw, the Sith wasn't going to remotely give them anything close to a compliment, let alone an acknowledgement. However, whatever the case, they were returning to the surface, albeit slowly and through all manner of strange instances and environments.
Given the mention of a marsh, a place that was overgrown with Cortosis poisons, it made Xitan wonder: was Roon just a giant playground for Dragus and how much did the Council know? Xitan did feel better after the short rest they had, but he could certainly use a bacta bath. Keeping his voice low, he mutters to himself.
Undead, lurking depth monster, poisonous marsh underground... makes me feel like I am going through my old Apprentice days.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
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Post by Darth Sirona on Apr 3, 2024 7:52:10 GMT -8
Sirona awoke with a start from the light slumber she had managed to drift into. It was so hard for her to imagine all the things that yesterday held, that it wasn't all a dream. But the undeniable reality set back in as Sirona looked to one side to see red skinned Elarinya and then around the fire to see the other odd assortment of compatriots. Standing above them was the lizard wizard himself. Sirona stretched and felt every ach and pain that had come with sleeping on a cave floor, but it was nothing the archeologist wasn't used to. Doing as she had been told, Sirona gathered what few of her belongings she had, and hadn't used as an impromptu pillow. Soon she was ready to march onward into the dark.
She kept herself in the middle of the pack, less likely to be ambushed that way. They all seemed more capable in these situations than her, all save Xitan, who was still recovering from his exhaustion yesterday. What had happened to him? Never had she seen a rage quite like that one, or one with such a long recovery time. Sirona caught herself looking his way a few times, and even thought she saw him doing the same. What was this connection, and why was it here? For two people who had so little in common, it was odd to say the least. All these mysteries would need to wait till they were out of this pit, and that could not come soon enough.
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Post by Elarinya on Apr 3, 2024 19:15:27 GMT -8
She barely managed to get any rest in the 2 hour break they had been permitted by the Saurian Sith Lord. Between her concern for Sirona and the proximity to her father that she was now being forced to suffer through, her mind would not shut off enough. Thankfully any outward signs of sleeplessness were not as obvious and would require a trained eye to spot. So without much fuss, she pushed herself to her feet and checked her pair of blades and blasters, the only items of her gear that had survived the dianoga, and was soon ready to leave. Without her armour she felt a lot more limber and less weighed down, but she was still recovering from the events leading to the loss of her gear.
It was clear to her that she was not the only one. Xitan looked a lot worse for wear, which did not overly concern her. What did concern her, were the multitude of glances he and Sirona had trading ever since their escape from the tomb.
Her time spent with the Archeologist had not been overly long before their arrival to Roon, but she had very clear peculiarities. Their arrival to Roon had also been fraught with social disasters which had culminated in Sirona rushing back into the ship and to her room in tears. It certainly seemed like Xitan had firmly lodged himself into persona non grata territory. Yet the blink of an eye had seemingly changed all of that, for which she was quite certain Dragus was to blame. She clenched her fist, focusing her frustration to that one point as she silently vowed to see him pay for what ever trickery he had performed
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Apr 3, 2024 19:38:55 GMT -8
Valefor let out a laugh when Xitan had fairly accurately described what would have undoubtedly happened had Dragus attempted this feat unaided. The Dark Apothecary certainly had quite the love for his Ranats, and it was certainly true that they had their place in things. But constructing a long range hyperspace capable craft was not one of them
Hmmm, perhaps the boy is not yet beyond redemption....
He sat and tended the fire when at last the others took what little sleep they could get within the two hours Dragus had allotted them for rest. Truth be told, he hadn't need worry given nothing had approached them since their escape from the lake. But as with most things, had he let his guard down they would have been swarmed by some rogue Ranat faction or some other beast of the underworld that Dragus had accidentally summoned here.
Regardless, when the party was back up and on their feet, Valefor also rose and kept his Hastae in hand. Whatever they were bound to face going forward was highly unlikely to be friendly. He'd spent more than his fair share of ventures with Dragus, each one cascading into another ten side ventures of their own. So far this was similarly following such a flow of horrible circumstances. But at the very least they were all still alive and - for the most part - capable of handling what might come their way
Well be sure you do not prod anything then, if we are to be taking so many precautions. For once, Dragus, be well behaved so we don't all suffer the consequences of your actions...
The Scaled Trickster had quite the habit of warning others of danger ahead, before charging headlong into things or allowing his curiosity to get the better of him. But perhaps he was being too harsh upon dear old Dragus. Time would quickly tell whether the Apothecary let his impulses take control or he would take control of them. At the end of the day, if he proved enough of a threat, then he would not live long enough to apologise for it. Solari was always hungry for a new soul and friend to add to its collection
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,408
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Apr 4, 2024 9:44:58 GMT -8
Jaws agape, the scaled sultan of sin appeared mockingly mortified, placing a clawed appendage over the end of his snout as he scoffed at the Demon Lord's accurate but still harsh assessment of the dastardly drake's behaviour. "Tut, tut." He scolded, appearing a pillar of abject contrition with one claw held over his heart and his villainous visage shifting to a guise of the undeservedly persecuted. "You're making me out az sssome sssort of Sssith ssscoundrel, my sssweet sssorcerer sssupreme. I asssure you, there iz no need for concern." As he made this claim, standing shoulder to shoulder with Valefor at the head of the party, his other claw slipped behind his back and crossed one talon over another. He, however, made no effort to conceal the motion from the other three Sith stalking the subterranean depths behind them. Turning his snout over his right shoulder, he offered them a wink of his bloody right eye, before returning his attention forward. "Az it happenz, I'm no ssstranger to thessse depthz. Squeakerz and I ssspent a few dayz sssurveying the marsh while on the hunt for the long lossst Cuke of Darth Azrael the Green, sssaid to contain the sssodomized spiritz of thossse he had ssslain in battle. We never found the bloody thing of courssse, but it did provide ample opportunity to ssstudy thiz region and itz inhabitantz. In fact, it waz only a fortnight ago that Wart and I were honoured guestz of the local Verminlord who hosssted uz for sssupper at Fort Bloodthorn in the bosssom of the bog. I'm sssomething of a celebrity amongssst the rodent arissstocracy, you sssee, in cassse the name of the under-folkz capital haz not given that away."That was one way to put it. The Dark Apothecary had gained the favour of the subterranean scavengers after his intervention in an event referred to by the beady eyed denizens of the dark as the War of the Rat. Following those events, he had shepherded the species from the Eye's cradle of Pzob to the shores of thrice cursed Roon, where they quickly burrowed beneath its tidal locked surface and made a home for themselves far below the Fortress of Tawntoom. Admittedly their expansion was much larger and more rapid than the Dread Wyrm had initially anticipated, but seeing as the schemes and machinations of the Under Empire typically went unnoticed by those that dwelt above ground, he didn't particularly see it as a problem. No doubt his fellows on the Council of Seven would be displeased were they to become aware of this; however, despite the many times he had spoken of the subterranean realm to the other councilors, they never seemed to take him seriously. They assumed all his talk of a kingdom of rodents beneath their feet was nothing more than the deluded ramblings of the saurian's spice addled mind, thinking him insane. He was of course, insane that is, but in this instance the evidence before their eyes spoke for itself.A baleful red glow from the meltmassif pommel of the Gorgon's Eye lit the way for them as Dragus led them towards the subterranean swamp, with the tunnel ending at the waters edge and opening into a massive underground cavern with a stalagmite covered ceiling three hundred feet above their heads. Stretched out before them was the appropriately named Poison Marshes of Northern Dragusblight, whose murky waters were covered by a thin veil of fog, produced by the pungent belches of swamp gas released from the bog. There were tuffs of land sparsely spread throughout the swamp to serve as spongy islands of long grass. Gnarltrees protruded from the depth of the marsh, their erratic roots sunk deep into the muck, wrapped with pulsating blackvines that constricted the mossy bark. The bioluminescence of glow-lichen adhered to the ceiling produced a form of dim light that revealed the swamp to them, though it paled in comparison to the sun of an open sky, barely dispelling the dark of the place. Mutant hawk-bats hunted mynocks through the maze of slick conical stone far above, occasionally disturbing the stalagmites enough to send one spearing down into the swamp water, where it splashed and drew the attention of hungry predators lurking beneath the bog's surface.Tearing a filthy feathered strip of fabric from the hem of his cloak, the Dark Apothecary wrapped the luminous capstone of his saber-cane, smothering the light it produced so as not to draw attention to himself. At the head of the group, he sat on the waters edge and slipped into the murky depths, testing the ground with a few prods of his talons. The mud that had settled at the bottom threatened to suck him down and it was only with considerable effort that he was able to extract his feet from the mire. Hmmm, best not to try traversing on foot. They could always swim the length he supposed, though he couldn't see his companions lasting long in the moor. The waters were frigid and would quickly siphon their stamina, while the roots and vines could easily snag or trap a limb. More so, keeping their heads above water would put them level with the fog, which as the swamp's name suggested, was poisonous. "Hmmm. We'll need to find sssome way acrosss."Turning his snout from side to side, the curious crocodilian looked for a means to cross the treacherous terrain, and was summarily rewarded for his effort. Further down the shore he spied an old dingy that had seen better days, appearing to have been abandoned by the sea rats that had likely dragged it down here into the marshes. "Ah, that should sssuffice." He hissed gleefully, leading them over to the boat. It was leaky and some of the benches were rotten, but when Dragus pushed it into the water, it remained buoyant. He then climbed aboard and still it didn't sink, which was all that was required to convince him it would prove a suitable chariot for their Sithly quintet. "Climb aboard. She may not be the Lady of Pzob..." An antique Rishi Man-of-War docked in the Bay of Dragus just outside Dragusport on the eastern coast of Draggle Rock. "...but I know a sssea-worthy ssslip when I sssee one."RRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! From elsewhere in the marsh, a terrible bestial roar sounded, causing the swamps inhabitants to slink back below the depths. A crease formed in the black scaled barabel's brow as he stared across the marsh for the source of the cry, though his mismatched eyes beheld nothing. He turned back to the other Sith in his company. "I sssee the ssswamp rancor iz ssstill lurking around. We'd best make hassste. They're not half az pleasssant az their Dathomiri cousinz. All aboard then. Mind yourssself, Xitan. Ladiez firssst. Oh, and do take care not to breath in the bog vapourz sssettling over the water, lessst you catch a cassse of lung-rot."
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Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
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Post by Darth Xitan on Apr 24, 2024 16:52:34 GMT -8
An entire underground, designed to kill, torment, and bring agony to any who were not naturally aligned with the cursed swamp. Roon, the centerpiece of the revived Sith, was becoming rotten from within... corruption was seeping into its very core. Perhaps even the cortosis veins would, one day, become tainted and be not worth their value anymore. There was a reason why Xitan was pleased that he only had a loose association with Dragus. Ryloth was a tamed adventure compared to this venture into the swampy, twisted, and dark depths of Roon. However, there was something of a boon to all of this.
If the Council above knew of these depths, certainly Vullorr and Melabor would be highly displeased, but those of the views that the strong thrived would see it as a potential to test the tested and to see if disciples were truly worthy. A crucible of varying tests that were naturally developed... although, Xitan probably suspected that, if they knew and thought of the idea, they likely wouldn't factor in a ninety-nine percentile of death for any who entered. Even the most season would likely die in the first of whatever lied within-
Speaking of...
The roar behind them. What a lovely sound. At this point, the Acolyte wasn't surprised at what could be here considering what Dragus experimented on. Xitan just looked back as, per his orders, the ladies got onto the boat first. He then stepped on and proceeded to situate himself on the boat. Lung-rot... this must be paradise for the Saurian.
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Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
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Post by Darth Sirona on Apr 24, 2024 18:36:19 GMT -8
One thing after another. What she had hoped would be a quick journey to find their way out of this abyss was turning into yet another harrowing trial. At some point in all the commotion, SIrona had lost the rebreather that Elarinya had lent her, and so she tore away her left sleeve and wrapped it around her face as a makeshift mask. She knew it wouldn't stop all the fumes, but perhaps enough that if her head dipped into the fog and took a sharp breath, it may keep her from intaking a fatal dose. All the same, she climbed aboard with everyone else, one hand gripping the side of the boat, and the other holding onto her red skinned companion for balance. Between the water (and whatever lurked in there), the toxic fog, and now the swamp rancor, Sirona starting to doubt her likelihood of seeing the surface again. There had already been too many close calls for her liking. Luckily her sleeve-mask hid much of her expression of resigned despair. If she did make it out of here, she swore it would be a cold day on Mustafar before she ever returned to Roon.
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Post by Elarinya on Apr 24, 2024 20:56:25 GMT -8
A world beneath another world. That was where Dragus had managed to drag them all to with his original hair brained idea to visit the tombs. Givent he vastness of these places, it seemed likely that creatures were born, lived, and died down here all without ever seeing the light of the star that this world orbited. It seemed a somewhat cruel fate to inflict upon anything... Except perhaps that Dianoga. That thing deserved its fate for trying to eat them.
Judging by the roar that echoed out across the marshes, it seemed another beast lurked in the mists that also wished to seal its fate by trying to consume them. Thankfully, at least, Dragus suggested the same what sane idea of using the nearby boat to cross the swamp. Much like Sirona, Ela had discarded her rebreather device back in the tunnels which meant she would have to keep her head above the low laying gas to avoid her own death. Something about their adventures so far told her that would be a lot easier said than done.
Using her claws she tore off a section of her dress that hung down her legs and used it as a makeshift scarf before aiding her friends descent into the boat before slipping in beside her. She kept one hand close to the blaster pistol strapped to her hip, certain danger was not all that far away. Much like Sirona, she was quietly vowing to never set foot upon Roon again, or better yet, never descending into its depths at Dragus' insistence
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Valefor
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 284
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Valefor on Apr 24, 2024 21:54:49 GMT -8
You and I both know you are indeed a scoundrel...
The Saurian Sith Lords talk of knowing these caverns and the Ranats that inhabited them well did little to ease Valefor's concern about what still lay ahead of them as they traversed the tunnels into the subterranean swamp. Here a thousand and one dangers seemed to be lurking within the fog that enveloped its reaches, each one undoubtedly affected by Dragus' alchemical manipulations. But thankfully the Lizard had better sense than to try and force them all to traverse this next leg of their journey on foot. Not that the rough looking dingy seemed a more promising prospect, but it appeared to be safe enough as the others all settled themselves into the boats bottom. It arguably fit into his requirement that Dragus behave himself, so Valefor manoeuvred himself into the water born craft seating himself at the front end. With the 2 Sith Masters taking the front and rear seats, they could better protect their cargo of acolytes and students
Let us make this crossing as brief as possible, even I do not fancy having to voluntarily tangle with a Swamp Rancor...
He kept the Hastae held in his hand as he twisted about in the boat, trying to anticipate what new and dangerous threat might leap out at them
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Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,408
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
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Post by Dragus on Apr 27, 2024 5:32:08 GMT -8
"Indeed." Agreed Dragus with an affirming nod of his toothy snout. "They are incredibly rare. Ancient Zakuulanz believed the hornz of a ssswamp rancor contained ressstorative propertiez. A mossst covetouz prize for an alchemissst." He dragged his forked tongue over his scaly lips, slurping up the beads of crimson seeping from between his razor filled maw, while the amethyst gem set in his left eye flashed with greedy glimpses of the despicable draconian's devious mind. "Though I wouldn't dare make the attempt without a provisssioned team of Gamorrean beassst-tamerz on hand. The Lady of the Bog, that'z what the ssstorm ratz of Clan Ssskrittlespike call her, lovez the tassste of pork. On a previouz expedition into thessse depthz, she made off with my asssistant Porkuz. I can ssstill recall hiz squealz of terror az she dragged him back to her lair." He sighed nostalgically. "You sssee a ssswamp rancor preferz the flavour of carrion to fresh meat. They are the connoisseurz of the rancor sub-speciez, and the Lady of the Bog haz exceptional tastez clearly, az Porkuz had been carrying my portable ssstockpile of Urciniz-Helix."The dinghy rocked as the Blood Wyrm climbed aboard, positioning himself at the back of the boat where his overlong tail hung over the side and slipped into the water, then began to spin like a propeller. Capping the end of his fifth appendage, the serrated vibro-spike proved an effective tool for chopping through vines and reeds, preventing his rapidly rotating limb from becoming entangled in swampy brush. As they slowly set out into the swamp, the Dark Apothecary reached into the folds of his filthy feathered robe and retrieved a ruby red length of meltmassif fashioned into a musical instrument. The Famine Lord brought his precious flute up to his black and bleeding scaly lips and pressed it to his crocodile smile. A most potent artifact from the Dread Wyrm's time amongst the NOE, the Flute of Famine served as an alchemical transmitter and enhancer of Dragus' powerful mind control abilities. It allowed the lecherous lizard lord to dominate the minds of primitive sentients and weak willed beasts with relative ease. Drawing in a lungful of filthy bog air, the scheming saurian exhaled his foul and potentially poisonous breath into the polished red length, eliciting a series of sour musical notes.♪♫♪ ♪♫♪ ♪♪ ♪♫♪ ♪♫♪ ♪♪ ♫♪♫ ♪♪ ♪ Expanding from the monstrous musician like potion spilling over the lip of a boiling cauldron, the black scaled barabel's oppressive aura extended outwards to encompass the dinghy and all that surrounded it, causing the mad drake's thoughts to hiss in the heads of those around him in the form of telepathic whispers that resembled the ramblings of a deeply troubled mind. They promised all manner of lie, encouraged the indulgence of of sin and vice, all the while repeating the same word spoken so silently one would be forgiven for missing it: OBEY. The malefic melody seduced bog rodents and small amphibians, even a cold blooded reptile or two, causing them to flock to the depths beneath the dinghy, forming a bestial honour guard of random swamp creatures that lifted the boat slightly out of the water. A particularly girthy dragon-snake had positioned itself beneath them after being affected by the twisted tune of the Terrorsaur. With great haste they were carried on their way through the poisoned marsh, cutting a path towards Fort Bloodthorn.They didn't have to wait long for the sinister fortress to come into view. The claw carved walls of its outer battlements soon appeared before them, towering over the foggy curtain of the marsh even at a distance. Cogs whirred in the mad alchemist's rakatan ocular implant as he magnified the devices view, allowing him to just make out the quadruple muzzled Sith iron barrels of the fort's hell-cannons. Forged in magma chambers beneath the temperamental Mount Tawntoom, these wicked weapons were crafted by soot stained rodent paws using ancient secrets of Pzobian sorcery revealed to the under-folk by the Hungering One, creating a vile implement of war that was both a product of alchemical genius and ranat ingenuity. Dragus ceased his flute playing as he spied the fort, standing up on the back of the dinghy which caused it to rock and creak atop the surface of the swamp. "Sssee? There it iz, jussst az I sssaid. Fort Bloodthorn. We'll be sssupping on ssslave-meat sssausage in the comfortingly crowded warrenz of the rat-kin in no time at all." Raising his musical instrument above his head, the Dark Apothecary waved back and forth, hoping the glint of glow-lichen refracting off his ruby flute would catch the eye of the storm-rats surely stationed on the walls. The fortress' response was not entirely as He-Who-Hungers expected.VA-BOOM! An echoing crack of thunder rumbled across the Poison Marsh as the mouth of a hell-cannon on the castle battlements spat a cloud of alchemical smoke and fire, belching a Sith iron cannon ball across the stretch of swamp that splashed down into the water just ahead of them, kicking up a filthy spray and scattering the animals the crooked crocodilian had summoned to their side. Well, that was quite rude, and certainly not the sort of greeting he expected the Children of Decay. Perhaps they had not seen Dragus behind Valefor's considerable red girth, with his folded wings blocking much of the scheming saurian's view for most of the trip through the swamp. Trading his flute for a collapsible spy-glass, the Great Devourer brought the alchemically enhanced lens to his bloody right eye and peered at the fortress walls for some sign of explanation. What he saw sent shivers down his scale covered spine. The barabel's dagger filled maw dropped open in genuine shock. Slowly he raised his lower jaw as he pulled the scope away from his eye and handed it over to Xitan."Spiderz..." He hissed, clearly unnerved. Spiders indeed, and not just any sort either. Manning the walls of Fort Bloodthorn were the inter-dimension invaders the Dark Apothecary had been repelling in secret for months now, eight limbed and eight feet tall, strong enough to tip over a landspeeder without breaking a sweat. The Charon were hideous, their hairy chitin covered arachnid forms invoking a primal fear in the instincts of most humanoid species. The fort walls erupted in fire as the cannons began to bark in symphony, filling the subterranean sky with screaming Sith iron cannonballs bound in groups of four as they were attached to the corners of barbed metal nets that unfolded as the balls soared towards their target, which just so happened to be the tiny boat the Sith quintet found themselves on.
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