Act I: Sands of Time

[Tefka]

GALACTIC EVENT​

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MASKS OF MADNESS​

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Overview​

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"BA-DUN-BA-DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN."​

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You blink.​

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The sun seems a little too bright, and your mouth is parched. The air is rather... dry, and there doesn't seem to be a breeze. Sweat falls down your furrowed brow as you try to squint through the sun-light, utterly confused as to what is going on.​

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You hear the noise again.​

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"BA-DUNNNNNNNN."​

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It's a horn! Okay. Well, maybe this is the afterlife.​

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"ALL HAIL KING OA, LIGHT-BRINGER, KEEPER OF THE GATES."​

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What in the world.... a sweaty body jumps into you. "Oh, excuse me," you hear, the man jumping away. Another person shoves into you. You suddenly realize there's screaming. Crowds cheering. It's a joyous noise, but it hurts your very sensitive ears.​

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You see palm trees overhead. Human men and women dressed in shawls and other desert-wear.​

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Tatooine? No, too...joyous.​

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All you know for now is that you're in the middle of a desert city, in the middle of a crowd. And you're starting to get hungry for answers, because right now - you're clueless.​

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[Alexandra Feanor]

MAin Group

Alexandra looked around frantically as the sound resonated through her ears and the sun shone bright in her eyes, where was she, everything was wrong and it caused her to reach for the hood of her robes and pull it up tight blocking out the sun and letting her vision adjusted. She looked around now, crowds cheering and shouting, a precession infront of them, it was all so strange and different and her mind tried to cope and her eyes searched for someone she recognized.

 

[Caulder Dune]

MAIN GROUP

This wasn't his office in New E'y-Akh. This wasn't even Hypori, or Confederate space for that matter! This was a place with an insufferable, sweltering temperature and an equally insufferable amount of sweaty people clamoring over each other in a fuss to reach some obnoxious horn. Why were all these plebeians cheering? What had they to be cheerful about? This weather was atrocious and this city looked decrepit. The noise pollution was starting to grate as well. Perhaps if he weren't so confused in this sudden change of scenery, he might have slapped one of those oafs as they rudely knocked him aside. Instead, insults would have to suffice.

"Watch where you're going, imbecile." The Umbaran hissed at another ruffian with the audacity to jostle him, struggling to find his bearings. He had almost forgotten to mask his dark-sided affiliation from the Force, which he rectified in haste. Who knows who was running around here?

This order did beg the question of where that imbecile and his multitude of companions was heading in the first place. Tyrin, against his better judgement, decided he would move with the flow of the crowd. He doubted any of these uproarious simians had the time or capacity to answer any of his inquiries. Asking too many questions would probably draw too much attention and make him an obvious outsider. That is, if his appearance didn't do that already. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Best to just move with the flow of things.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

Main Group

Was this the afterlife? The Manda? It was bright, maybe he had drank too much...Wincing at the light of the sun, he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. Patting himself he found his flask. Taking it out for a moment, he started to unscrew the cap. "There we go..." A shoulder, bumping him. He realizes he was in a large crowd of people. Loud people. "What in the seven Corellian Hells?" A desert city, how did he get here? Grumbling something about @[member="Strider Garon"] he reached down to pick up the flask, its black contents dripping from the opening. Cursing under his breath he picked up the metal flask, dusting the sand off and giving it a little shake to make sure that there was still booze left for him to drink. Manda knows he needed it. It was half full. A shrug from the old Mandalorian. "Good enough..."

Looking to his chrono his brows rose in confusion. It seemed to be disabled. Or...Maybe broken? How? Pressing the button to communicate he spoke into the receiver. "Can anyone hear me on this?" No answer. Another bump, another blare of the horn.

What the karking hell was going on?

 

[Jarik de Celanon]

Main Group

The lights of the lab illuminated the already white room, counters and chairs no different, all of it to highlight any substance that may have escaped in some way. Not that he was expecting it to happen. Yet as it were, stranger things had occurred to him. He had assumed his most well-known form, and that was of course in comparison to his true self who perhaps five people knew. Nonetheless, the grunt work of his current study brought a rare peace to his mind. No whispering, no hissing of unexplainable darkness, just the patterns and work of taking a life form and testing it against conditions otherwise impossible for most to survive. Extremophiles were by no means a rare thing in this galaxy, but there was still an interest in unlocking those abilities.

A small irony, really. Considering his species could nearly fit that description. Their brand of shape shifting allowed them a large variety of abilities. He could become as big as a Rancor, as small as a rodent, or even take flight. He did not even need to assume the form of a known creature. He could create his own. Although, he had yet to attempt such a thing.

Dress shoes, grey slacks, a thin black jacket that buckled up by the throat and over that the commonly recognized Doctor’s jacket. He was learning new and powerful abilities with some of his newer… colleagues. All of it new and challenging to him. He thrived in it. Nevertheless, until he could return to that, he still had obligations as Doctor Jarik de Celanon, researcher of the Galactic Republic Ministry of Science, as his nametag stated. A small smile upon his lips as he worked, alone in the Republic funded lab, having nothing else needing to be addressed presently.

It was a simple routine. But-

He stared. He stared as hard as he could. Accepting his confusion he simply looked around. Was he dead? Had some assassin claimed him and he had not even noticed? No gurgle of blood, no rush of adrenaline, no memorable bright light, no wound that he could see. No, no. He was not dead. The evidence simply did not support it. Then where was he? Who we- oof, his shoulder pulsed with momentary pain. Anger momentarily swelling within his chest. But it was a sufficient awakening. He did not know why he was here, nor how he was brought here, but it was time to find out. The crowd flowed past him and so he sunk into it, following them. Albeit admittedly out of place. Surely this way was as good as any other way he could have gone. It would have to do.

 

[Varus Ren]

Main Group

What? Why was he here? Where was here? Two minutes ago he'd been sitting in his fighter, en-route to Coruscant, but now he was...where exactly? He was in a crowd, hood was down, and they all seemed to be moving. Quickly rectifying the wardrobe issue, he pulled up the hood up and checked his gear. Sabers? Check. Thorn? Check. Assassin's blade? Check once more. Moving with the crowd, his eyes swept the area, looking for a sign of what was going on, shouts referencing a 'light-bringer'. Sounded decent enough to him. The hooded Jedi moved with the crowd, not calling attention to himself as best he could, and hoped he'd find some answers.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Main Group

Rosa's tongue flicked across parched lips, feet rooted to the ground despite the bustling bodies around her. She blotted it all out, the noise the emotion, all of it. Just for a moment so she could check one thing... yes her heart was definitely still beating. Letting out a calming breath she relaxed herself and turned her attention to her surroundings. The sun beat down upon them, palm trees shifted slightly in a breeze that did not penetrate the crowd. Waves of happiness washed over her, excitement coarsed through the air making it vibrate. A celebration of some form perhaps?

She could ask herself how she had gotten here, but why bother? She might as well work out why she was here, and hopefully the rest would follow. She uprooted her feet and let herself be carried with the crowd. Eyes forward, but constantly alert to the pattern of emotions around her.

 

[Drifter]

MAIN GROUP


It was automatic. You didn't argue, you simply did. He didn't know why he did it, but he did. Laying there on a sand dune on his back, with his arm thrown over his eyes, parched lips, and a growling stomach, he did the only thing he could do.

"ALL HAIL KING OA, LIGHT-BRINGER, KEEPER OF THE GATES."

As soon as he heard the announcement he lifted his arm up and repeated with a cracked voice, "ALL HAIL KING OA!"

Maybe they'll feed him if he kept repeating that every time King Oa's name was called out.

 

[Sargon Vynea]

Main group​

Senses blared to life as Sargon opened his eyes to the desert sun and its baked lands. His first thought was Tatooine followed by the simple thought, of how and why would he be on there of all places. The only place possibly worse to be at any time then Tatooine was Hoth, though a quick thought about Hoth and he was quite pleased to on Tatooine. As his senses adjusted to the pain in his eyes and ears though he took note of a few things that felt a bit out of place for Tatooine. The leading being happy people, no one was happy on Tatooine, not even a hutt.

The second was the name of King Oa, the Zabrak felt he had a pretty good grip on galactic politics but the name rang no bells as he shook his head trying to reach out with the Force to assess the world around him. Reaching a hand to his comlink the Zabrak attempted to open a channel home to the Fringe with no real luck in that department either. Looking about the Zabrak decided for the moment it was better to stay unnoticed and observe rather then blunder about and possibly step into the proverbial gundark's nest.

 

[Lilia Dur'iar]

Main Group

Lilia was confused, disoriented, and actually rather scared. "What in the Force's name..." She whispered, looking around wildly as she was swept along by the crowd. Where is the rest of the Padawans? Where's Iella? She added in her mind, reaching out instinctively with the Force to try and figure out where she was, and maybe...well, when she was? Was that even possible? Behind all these specific questions was one overarching question.

What the feth was going on?!

 

[Simone]

Main Group

Panic rose like bile and Simone turned wildly around trying to get her bearings. Heart hammering so hard in her chest she was afraid it might break through. "Okay Simone, breathe, relax, get a grip of yourself. Lets think." So she thought. How did she get here? Her mind came up blank. Where was here? Still nothing. Who are these people? What is going on? How did I get here? "Nope, I got nothing."

Go to stop talking to yourself out loud Simone. She thought to herself. She walked, carried by river of people.

"ALL HAIL KING OA!"

"King who?!" she blurted, thinking out loud again.

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

MAIN GROUP


Did I die? Did @[member="Steph Zenima"] give me whatever she has every few minutes? And why was it sandy? Was he on Ordo? Was he on Tatooine?

Thoughts ran through the Republic commando's mind, before his vision cleared and he lumbered up to his feet. Desert-apparel covered people wandered about the scene, and it seemed...joyous. They were celebrating? Everyone seemed happy, like some sort of festival in the desert. He dusted the sand off of himself, and glanced around. Okay, time to scan. Analyze. Formulate some sort of plan. Concoct a...okay, well, some sort of idea of where he was. He saw several figures, some out of place. So he might not be alone. There was a chorus of cheering about King Oa, and Doc lumbered forward, trying to get a better look, and more importantly understanding. They spoke basic, so that was a good sign. Or they might be Imps, or Fringers. Either way, he was in short supply of answers and in great overstock of questions. So for now, he waited, and wondered what would unfold next....and also he was thirsty...and hungry...and kinda tired....

Boy Kaiden, aren't you regretting not asking Steph on a date now, aren't you?

 

[Drifter]

MAIN GROUP
@[member="Simone"] @[member="Jaxton Ravos"]


"ALL HAIL KING OA!" Habaek bleated out again, because he heard someone nearby repeat the name. If he had a mug of sorts, this would work better. If said mug was full of water, he'd be set. Groggy, one eyelid carefully slit open, his slanted eyes peering out next to him.

"Huh, I've must have been drinking a lot," he said with a mutter aloud, as if amused by the sight that beheld him. A pink lady. "I'm starting to see women in colors now."

Clearly, this was just fantasy and hallucinations. Right?

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

DA MAIN GROUP

God dang that sun is bright. Jaxton thought to himself. He knew Zeltrons could get hangovers, but he hadn't had one in forever. So bright, so much noise. He stood up and began wiping his hands over his face to help wake himself up when he realized that he had sand in his beard. Last he checked his home on Laekia didn't have any sand in it, nor did his ship. He took a look around to find a desert around him, and that noise and sun were a real sun and crowd, not a hangover. Or he was still drunk. He wasn't quite sure at this point. He did quick pat down of himself and found his lightsaber and little else. No indication of where he was or how he got there.

Further looks around revealed a bunch of faces he didn't know, and a couple he recognized. Rosa on one hand and Simone on the other. He looked at Rosa, then looked at Rosa, then looked at Simone. Rosa can wait a minute. He finally said to himself and headed to the other Zeltron in the crowd.

"Hey Simone, I can't seem to remember why I'm here. I didn't happen to tell you anything strange after having half a keg of Corellian ale did I?"

@[member="Simone"]

 

[Antares]

MAIN GROUP

Hre woke up in a meditating position with his lgs folded over each other. Maybe this is why he didn't meditate. He got 9o his feet and when he looked up, it was as if it was the first time he looped up at the sun. It's brightness felt as if it was going to melt his cornea from it's position and allow the eye itself to melt out of it's socket. But it didn't and when he looked around he saw people walking in one direction. But to where was the question.

Where am I? He thought to himself as his legs dragged through the sand. Is this Tatooine or Korriban? And he heard the repeated cheers. King Oa? Tatooine doesn't have a king, does it? But Korriban had had kings in the past. Adas was the name of the only Sith King he knew of.

There were trees. Did Korriban have trees? Might as well follow along. The Jedi Knight let himself be carried along with the crowd. He had eyes for nothing but ahead of him.

 

[Lilia Dur'iar]

Uh. Okay, who's Oa, why is he King, what is he King of, and why are we all hailing him? Lilia wondered, toying with the idea of asking the questions aloud, before deciding that might be a bad idea. She checked her belt. Okay, she had her lightsaber. Blue, standard chilt, nothing special, but still a lightsaber. Glancing around surreptitiously, the Jedi Padawan stowed the weapon in her sleeve. The people might not take too kindly to weapons, and best not to take chances.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Main Group.

As she looked around she saw many as confused as her and she had no idea what to say or think or what, it was all too strange and she didnt even know how she had gotten to the planet and started to frantically look about the area. "Hello, where am i and whos King Oa?" Her words were quite louder than she had wanted, but it was something that she needed to know.

 

[Satara Hawk]

~ MAIN GROUP
It looking to a be a warm day, a cool spring type of day by what Satara could figure out. Because of that, she had dressed appropriately before she made her way through the clan, attending to her daily duties. And for the most part, all had seemed perfectly normal, until she had turned on her heel and decided to go see her rancor, only to hear a voice in the back of her mind. Sound she couldn't immediately register.

Perhaps because her involuntary act of blinking and made the next moment a bit odd. The sound came to her once again. But now, it sounded closer than fore. Sounded all too near, all too real. Her mind suddenly placed it. A horn. But why did she hear a horn. She didn't hear a horn normally. In fact, horn was a sound she hadn't heard in years.

But what Satara didn't realize in the next moment that all that had been literally half a second. "ALL HAIL KING OA, LIGHT-BRINGER, KEEPER OF THE GATES." The voices brought her back, made her open her eyes abruptly and take a step back. Someone bumped into her, speaking but she could barely register it. The sun hit her skin suddenly and her lips parted, inhaling deeply. Had the temperature risen so much. Her mismatched eyes suddenly adjusted to the brightness and another person bumped into her. Screams. Cheers.

Just what in the...? Satara looked left and right and then ahead. There were crowds there, they were being so loud. They were dressed oddly. And the more she looked, the more Satara realized she wasn't on Dathomir anymore. But how could that be? This didn't look like it. It was too bright, too hot and none of these people looked like her people.

This made no sense... Perhaps she was experiencing a dream... or perhaps... somehow, a vision like she had when she was carrying Kytarra, though that was completely impossible.

 

[Vulpesen]

MAIN GROUP

Vulpesen's eyes darted around, taking in the faces around him as looked for any answers or a familiar face. "I swear, i was just about to get that damn holocron. What sith sorcery is this?" The last thing he could remember was being on a mission to take a sith artifact from a temple on Dromund Kass, and now he was here without a clue what was going on. "Come on, come on, come o- bingo!" His eyes finally caught sight of a familiar sight. It had been a while but it was better than nothing. Walking up, Vulpesen could almost be glad that he could find out what happened tot he padawan, but then again, he had no idea what had happened to himself. For all he knew, he was already dead. "Nice to see you again." He said, coming up behind @[member="Lilia Dur'iar"]. He wasn't sure if she'd recognize him in his black robes (Thank Ashla he loved the heat!) And relaxed nature that had set in after his promotion, but at least he could recognize her.

 

[Lilia Dur'iar]

Main Group

Lilia's head snapped around, eye's widening as she shook her head furiously at the woman who was speaking. No! No, don't say anything! We don't know how they'll react! She screamed mentally, but since she didn't actually cut the woman off, all she could do was listen for someone to either answer the woman's question or burn her as a heretic. Or anything in between, really.
@[member="Alexandra Shadowstalker"]

Then, she caught sight of an old face. The robes were new - well, different anyway - and her eyes bugged out even farther. "Vulpesen?" She whispered, dropping back to talk to him. "Do you know...anything about what's going on?"
@[member="Vulpesen"]