A Living Ghost (Nefertari Sovint)

[Salaza]

A report had come into Republic Intellegence from the planet Centares. Something had happened within one of the smaller towns of the planet, all information, commuication and other feeds going dark. Any who tried to investigate wound up missing, and the government of the planet had a suspicious feeling this was something Sith related. The only hunch they had were reports of an odd off-worlder having come to the town only a day ago. But since then they have not been seen, and all that anyone can figure is that the twon itself is still intact. This required the aid of outside professional help. So a call had been sent out to the Republic and, by extension, the Jedi. They hoped and prayed they would have the answers to whatever was going on. Although when asked if there was anything of value the most anyone could surmise was the old Museum of the Old Republic that was erected there, yet that did not make uch sense if they had intended to steal from there and yet not leave. There was something else afoot and hopefully whoever they sent to investigate would have the answers. ​

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[member="Nefertari Sovint"]​

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

The reports had been interesting to be sure, and Nefertari had been sent in to find out what the trouble was and deal with it. Of course, what was there to steal from a museum other than valuables? The answer, at least to the Jedi Knight, was simple: knowledge

Coming up on a beggar, the lady offered him 5 credits for information
"Could you tell me who or what has been sheltering in the old museum?"
Nef gave him a little more
"If you could also give me directions"

The beggar pointed in the direction of a building; one which looked older than Nefertari's childhood home.
"Thank you, kind sir" said Nef
As she walked away, Nef heard the beggar say "All glory to Salaza"

For some reason, that sounded important. The Jedi made mental note of it.
If there was trouble, she was here to find out.


[member="Salaza"]

 

[Salaza]

The closer [member="Nefertari Sovint"] would come to both the town's center and the museum that lied in the center the more she would see the activity and behavior of the people seeming all the more odd. When she would pass them they would given pleasent nods before adding in things like "Praise to Salaza" or "Praise be the Goddess". Even at one point a child, a young girl, stood in front of her and smiled while offering a flower and saying "Glory to the Winged Goddess, ma'am." They were entrhalled and yet seemed to complacent with what they were saying. Deeper than any sort of Jedi Mind trick. This was a darker magic. ​

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Eventually when she cae to the museu there were two guards awaiting her. Both had been armed and watched the museum as if it were a castle or something. Even as one of them said "Halt, and annouce your loyalty before the Winged Goddess and the Fanged God. For the emissary will see no other." ​

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

This was weird. This was almost too weird.
Everywhere Nef went, she would hear talk of some goddess or this [member="Salaza"] whoever they were.

After about half an hour, and getting lost once, the Countess found herself on the steps of the museum.

Nef's late lover Nathan had once said something along the lines of "You can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes."
Since then, she had tried it out and found his saying to be true quite often. The eyes of the guards before the Jedi told the Jedi that they were either just as brainwashed as the rest of the town, or they were just super thick.

"Halt, and annouce your loyalty before the Winged Goddess and the Fanged God. For the emissary will see no other."
Halt? Sure, there was no other option if she wanted to get in. Announce her loyalty to these deities though? Nefertari never was one to lie outright about her loyalties. Disguise and assume a role? Fine. This however, wouldn't do.

No, this called for a special mind trick; One which caused these two to question themselves.
The Jedi's hand waved
"Why ask of my loyalty when I can sense your own is little and waning?"

Two possible results occurred to Nefertari. Hopefully things wouldn't turn bad.

 

[Salaza]

The Mind trick she cast had taken some effect. The guards looked at each other before shrugging themselves and repeating "We have little loyatly to give." Indeed they were more on the thick side, that was what made thier minds to easy to sway in the first place. But now the museum was open to her and when [member="Nefertari Sovint"] entered she would see that everything was changed; mostly for the worse it seemed. Some peices of art and and history were destoryed, used as burning alters it seemed for whatever greater force was at work. The remains of others were made into smaller shrines and alters of sorts, some representing a winged creature like a griffon while others a large black beast like a gargoyle. Crude painted images of birds and symbols that were, upon further inspection, Dathomirian decorated nealry everywhere. Other things had large clwa marks like paintings and tapesties; most that depectied the time of the Old Republic. ​

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And then, finally, came the center of the museum where the countess would be able to see Salaza in person. She sat upon a self-made throne out of one of the exihibits with a large pile of debris and the like at the base. Cruely made stairs reached at least three feet to where the throne sat. And there upon it was Salaza, dressed in her attire of blue and grey, her avian like appreance only adding to the very unnatrual feel of everything about the situation. It was not until Sovint had enteres that she seemed to notice her, her unseen eyes looking towards her.​

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"Ah. And so you finally come. I was wondering how long it would take for them to send someone to invesitage." Her voice was a raspy one, like a whipser but so much louder. She leaned foward and added "And a Jedi as well. I suppose it's a better start than a Sith."​