A Tale of Damnation

[Via Dolorosa]

There were many hobbies the Sith Lady possessed like science, necromancy, magick, bone collecting, and alchemy just to name a few. For every hobby she incurred, she always found some sort of project to work on; be it collecting bones from the dead, or from studying plants for deadly poisonous properties, or creating the pretty little bone nose ring that could raise the dead that sat perfect in her nose. She had hobbies, but she loved projects even more.​

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So as she sat in a nearby graveyard on Kesh watching the dead leaves from from the trees, an idea came to her. It might not be feasible for what the thought was proposing, but she didn't care. She didn't have to answer to anyone nor did she have to worry about offending any of her Sisters or Brothers. The Black Rose had drawn some interesting characters, and she had heard they were becoming a freak show. Even she was a bizarre woman with a healthy appetite for the dead. How and when this actually took place, it was anyone's guess. But maybe the deck was always there, she just needed to shuffle it better.​

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Digging a small hole next to the tree with her bare hands, she dropped the small skull of an animal she discovered on her way to the graveyard, and politely buried it. In life, the previous owner of said skull was meaningless to her. In death, the animal had bestowed upon her a great gift. But the gift had ran it's course and she had a project to work on. On her way back to the Temple, she thought of all the different fabrics in the galaxy that she could work with; and finally settled on the Dathomiri spider silk.​

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Her moment of complacency was now over. She was back and ready to haunt the galaxy once more.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

There was much planning and preparation that needed to be done before turning her vision into reality. The first and second steps were easy, purchasing enough of the silk from a contact she used in the past and hiring a tailor to construct the cloak to her size and figure. The former was paid from her cut of profits from TDI, where she received a monthly allowance from them. The latter was paid in the form of a favour; where she had gone out to rescue the tailor's daughter from the vile clutches of space pirates.​

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As was her tradition, she traveled to her homeworld of Dagobah, where she had constructed a small alchemy alter. Here she would begin the ritual of enchanting her newly fashioned cloak. But before she could begin that process, she needed to ensure the area surrounding her little hiding hole was free of predators and other disturbances. Working with alchemy and magick was a delicate process, which she had learned in the past could almost drain you with exhaustion that bordered on death.​

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Darth Venefica headed into the swamps, eager to test out her new lightsaber, Carrion Comfort, on the local wildlife. It had been some time since she visited the planet of her birth, and she wondered if the predators had evolved since the last time she put them in balance; letting them know that when she was on Dagobah that she was the apex predator.​

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"Come out...come out you beautiful creatures. I have a treat for you," the necromancer challenged.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Stalking through the swamps with here eyes darting left and right, she opted to forgo using the Force to sense her prey. She wanted to fight them on almost equal ground, a challenge she found amusing considering that she never played fair or followed the rules. The monsters that slithered, crawled, and flew where some of the most dangerous in the galaxy. A rancor you can see and hear coming, but a swamp slug or a dragonsnake used the element of surprise to drag unsuspecting prey deep into the pits of their stomachs. She had killed both kinds before, evident by the dragonsnake teeth woven into her hair and it's skin fashioned to make up part of her outfit.​

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While she hunted, a thought surfaced to the forefront of her mind. Stopping in her tracks, she saw a dead little something floating on the surface of the water. Speaking the activation word that allowed her enchanted nose ring to wiggle the dead back to the land of somewhat living, the creature sat up and looked at her, a dead expression hazing over the eyes. No words would be exchanged with this undead creature, that feature only worked with those that possessed the capability to speak; however the furry little Lazarus would still follow her commands.​

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"That way," she ordered, sending her bait deeper into the swamp.​

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Some carefree folks would probably complain if they knew she sent a animal into harms way, but the animal was already dead and even if it managed to attract a nearby predator, there was no such thing as becoming deader. And to her knowledge, there were no carefree folk around she could manipulate to take the place of the dead animal. ​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

One of the side effects of using the enchanted nose ring, Bone of the Undead, over the traditional use of necromancy was the longevity of the risen thrall. So as time began to wind down for the animal as it's destiny of becoming a pile of goo drew closer, she wondered if there where any predators around; making all this business a waste of her time. But from the corner of her eye, she saw bubbles floating to the top of the surface, which meant only one thing. Dragonsnake.​

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Just as the small undead animal made what would be it's final step, a juvenile size dragonsnake shot up from the depths of the swamp and engulfed her bait. At that exact moment, she ignited her blade and attacked the unsuspecting monster, severing it in two at the midsection. Both halves flopped and spasmed for a few seconds before falling silent. But her victory was short lived, as it seemed both her bait and the brief appearance of the dragonsnake had attracted a small group of pikobi, four in all, that had been out on the lookout for food themselves.​

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In unison, the long pointed beak reptilian looking creatures looked back and forth between the dead dragonsnake and Sith Lady; deciding on what would taste better. The odds were against her, so she did what she did best; she cheated. Calling on her knowledge of Darkside tendrils, black serpentine tentacles appeared underneath two of the pikobi's killing them instantly. Despite the deaths of their litter mates, the remaining two charged toward her, their sharp peaks known for piercing prey leading the way.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

As a child growing up in a Hepsalum Tash villiage, she heard the stories from the elders how 'visitors' from the galaxy ended up on Dagobah, thinking the world was nothing but swamps and backwater folk. They had been partially right, there were swamps and backwater folk, but there were monsters that hunted the swamps. Most guests to Dagobah usually wound up as food, or simply fled the planet telling wide imaginary tales that done nothing for the planet's reputation. The problem wasn't the planet, it was the fools that came here and didn't know how to survive. For Darth Venefica, her survival started on Dagobah.​

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The Dagobah Sith knew how to handle these reptilian creatures, even as a teenage girl she use to make meals out of their tough flesh. So when the two remaining pikobis moved to try and flank her, she was more than ready for them. The reptiles where used to dealing with small and very defenseless prey, and the Swamp Witch was neither. Well she was in size compared to most Vahlla anyway, but she was far from defenseless.​

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Her attack was two-fold. First, using the Force to guide her lightsaber, she hurled it toward the unsuspecting pikobi on her left; never seeing it slice through it's neck. Her second attack, again aided by the Force, caught the best in invisible hands. She slowly lifted the semi-heavy pikobi off it's feet, and with a quick closing of her hand snapped the creature's neck; then unceremoniously dropped the creature to the wet, swampy ground.​

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She called her lightsaber back to her hand, while her eyes looked upon her handy work. In the span of thirty minutes, she cleared the area of any predators, thus ridding herself of any potential guests or distractions. Now she could return to her little hidey hole and begin the ritual.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Tapping her right index finger on her lips, she looked at the carnage and decided it would be best to eat and relax first before attempting the ritual. The day's events hadn't drained her, but the thrill of the fight was still fresh in her body and mind. She would need to expunge that and the best way to do that was to meditate; and eat of course. So removing a small dagger, that was at one time a rib bone, she began to cut into the flesh of one of the pikobis. It had been years since she last tasted the tough meat, but the glands in her mouth began to water because they hadn't forgotten.​

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Part of her previous preparations was to have the cave, where the ritual would take place, be stocked with enough food and water to last for at least four months. However, the food rations in the cave where not freshly cut meat, and some of the rations she was unsure if she would ever risk eating them. So when she returned to the cave, she made a small fire in the centre and using a thick branch she found on her way back, she slid the meat on to the stick; then sat down to roast her food.​

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While the cave began to take on the aroma of cooked flesh, she played over and over in her head how she would conduct the ritual. She had a general idea of what she wanted to create, but as her past projects could testify, what she started out with was not always what she finished up with. One thing was certain, her cloak would be unique. While her food continued to cook, she began to put more and more thought into what she wanted, and by the time she took her first bite of pikobi delight, she knew.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

For two straight weeks she fasted and meditated, calling on the Darkside energy to her. Her body had grown weak from lack off nourishment, but at the same time became a conduit of Darkside energy. During that two week stretch, her mind had expelled all thoughts not pertaining to the forthcoming ritual, while at the same time gripping tight to the idea and vision she had for the cloak. Aiding her in cause, the Force began to show her glimpses of what she needed to accomplish to ensure success of her creation. Even in her state of mind, she discarded the visions as false impressions; because she understood how to use farsight and the future was always changing.​

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With the closing of the two week period, she stripped down to nakedness. She removed the bones from her wrists and ankles, and even removed the teeth woven into her hair. The only accessory that had to remain was the enchanted nose ring, because from that previous ritual it had become permanently infused with her nose. She made one last check of her body, then left the comforts of her cave.​

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She entered the waters of the closest swamp, submerging herself while reciting the Sith Code. From the time she undertook Alchemy and Magick, it had become a tradition for her to recite the ancient words. Slowly she emerged out of the water, feeling what had clung to her body cascade down her pale flesh. She closed her eyes, taking in the small sensations the rolling water was leaving behind. Feeling satisfied that all the impurities had been removed from her skin, she began to cleanse her mind one last time.​

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Darth Venefica moved to the closest tree, feeling the slimy mud passing through her toes as she did. Gently placing her head and her palms on the tree, she began to ask the swamp Goddess for her blessing. It was only right that the Watcher of the swamp be asked permission before she undertook the dark ritual.​

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"Go raibh maith agat Máthair haghaidh do bheannacht Dhiaga," she whispered in the ancient language of Dagobah.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

The next three weeks proved challenging. Her project had undergone a different path than she had planned, but the results where looking better than she had ever hoped for. The alchemy process took less time than she imagined, as the cloak underwent a radical change; giving it a black sheen that seemed to almost glow. But the biggest difference was how the robe seemed to put out dark smoke around it. At first she was unsure if she liked it, but after staring at it for a couple of hours, she became satisfied with the result.​

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With the majority of Alchemy work nearly completed, she turned her attention to enchanting the robe using Sith Magick, mainly Darkside Tendrils and Tsaiwinokka Hoyakut. Her vision was for the Darkside Tendrils to act like a sentient life, striking out and destroying her enemies without having to resort to personal spell casting. As for the ability of Tsaiwinokka Hoyakut, or necromancy, she hoped that it would work in the similar fashion, but she had her doubts. Though the appeal to have the robe raise the dead without her input sounded good, she didn't want to walk by graveyards and raise the dead by accident.​

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Her first few attempts at enchanting the robe seemed to fail, then she decided to use a different tactic. Revisiting the ritual, she conducted it speaking the words in reverse order, and when it came time to plant the two spells onto it, once again she spoke in a backwards tongue. Her eyes danced with delight when she felt the robe and the spells join in an unholy union. She took a step back looking at the final product and laughed. Tomorrow she would put on the robe, but now she needed sleep.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

Sitting there eating her breakfast, dry rations and a carafe of warm water, she stared at the robe as it continued to emit black whispers of smoke into the air. It wasn't just her eyes captivated by the robe, but her mind was urging her to skip the rest of her meal and try it on; but she ignored the luring gaze of the robe and continued to eat. In time, she would be wearing the robe but she needed her energy. Sleep didn't do much for her, considering she spent the past month or so hardly sleeping at all. And her stomach, now realizing the ritual was completed, was staking a claim to be addressed.​

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"Should we try you on now," she asked the robe at the conclusion of breakfast.​

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A burning sensation ripped through her hand when her bare flesh touched it. Looking at her fingers then at the robe, she narrowed her eyes and mentally cursed it. Was it possible the robe was denying her access after she gave it life? Or was her unstable mind just playing tricks on her? She reached out to touch it again and this time felt no burning on the tips of her fingers. She chewed on her lip for a second, then gripped the robe and put it on.​

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And then came the screams. Her body thrashed and convulsed from the burning pain shooting throughout her entire body where the robe was touching exposed flesh, which was alot considering the outfit she wore on a daily basis. Darth Venefica dropped to her knees, catching her breath and trying to channel out the pain; but the latter failed. Then unaware she was doing it, she began to laugh.​

 

[Via Dolorosa]

The frightening thing about being your own test subject is that you never know the positive and negative effects from what you have created. And when dealing with Alchemy and Sith Magick, well sometimes what you create and test on yourself can kill you; and that is the best option available. In some cases she read, and some she witnessed personally, creations had destroyed minds beyond the capabilities of of repair. No amount of healing or medical advances could ever repair the damage done. However, her mind was already damaged so any further damage to it would only be cosmetic.​

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When her laughter finally subsided, she stood up fighting the burning pain and tried to remove the robe. And realized she couldn't. Her eyes darted around her body, noticing how the robe had infused itself to her expose flesh, turning her flesh into a glowing black sheen. The only spots where the robe had not joined with hers was in the areas where her skirt and halter top provided some protection. The rest of her body had been fair game. However when she walked, the robe moved with her, not restricting her movements. And for the silver lining in the storm clouds, she noticed she could remove and replace the hood. Apparently the robe was disgusted by her sporadic hair.​

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After taking some time to adjust to what she had done to herself, she left the cave feeling more than angry with herself. She was never a pretty girl, but even with this monstrosity attached to her, well it might as well be a chastity belt for all she cared. Walking through the swamps unarmed, she began to verbally beg for death. She yelled, screamed, and cursed out challenges to any predator in the area. Being on Dagobah, she didn't have to wait long.​

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Answering her call to be eaten was a juvenile swamp slug. The creature moved toward her and just as she began to lower her head to accept her fate, four black tendrils shot from the robe quickly wrapping around it's slimy throat and body. The Sith Lady had asked for death herself, and yet she watched the slug die instead. Then to add to an even stranger event, the slug began to twitch and moved upright. With a smirk on her face, she found something pleasing about the robe.​

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For the next month, she tested the robe in the swamps of Dagobah, learning it' strengths and weaknesses. In the end, she would work through the constant burning pain.​