Private Ascension || A Rise in Prominence

[Rayden Helonus]

LOCATION - Jutrand, Ragnos District, Cathedral of Ragnos
TAGS - Darth Malum of House Marr

Rayden didn't have much love for cities, especially not city-planets; he lived for the fresh air, for the sand beneath his feet and the breeze on his skin, for the gentle light of the stars and the enveloping warmth of the sun. The neon lights, the refreshed air... it just wasn't right. Of course, the Ragnos District was hardly par for the course- it was, no doubt, one of the more... luxurious destinations in the Empire.

And it would soon be his.

The first step had been the death of Darth Sullene on Exegol, a tragic misfortune mourned by none. His powerbase had been extensive, encompassing the Ragnos, Hord and Nadd Districts of Jutrand, and by Rayden's hand, it was at war with itself. So precarious was the Dark Lord's hold on his own syndicate, held together by brute force, that his lords fought like children over a puffcake the moment news of his death reached them. He had allowed them a week to agitate each other, to solidify their abhorrence like duracrete. A week, no more and no less, before he moved to the second step:

Subjugation.

He would have their hearts and their loyalty, or he would have their heads on pikes by sunrise. It mattered little to him, Sullene's powerbase would be his all the same... three districts, secured in a single night. It was the sort of ambition his ancestors could only dream of, the sort that the Dark Councils of millennia past would condemn. It was the sort of thing you needed an accomplice for.

Rayden, now a Lord in his own right, lacked nothing in power; his greatest fear was that Sullene's inner circle would not put up a good fight. But it was not for power that he needed an accomplice; he didn't doubt that he'd have Eternalist support when dawn came, and illuminated him in his new throne, but the Tsis'kaar? He had his doubts that the cult, whose name could damn near be a metaphor for shadows, would take too kindly to a schemer outside of their ranks... besides, he'd gain their ire or their admiration one day- neither good. It was best to have some protection beforehand.

And what better protection was there than the Grand Tribune's own apprentice?

Malum, a self-purported descendant of the legendary Dark Councilor, Marr. He was a valiant warrior in his own right, a veteran of most individual campaigns in the Dark Tide.. He'd have made a fine apprentice- if only the Elite didn't get the cream-of-the-crop.

The apprentice would have received some compelling visions of late- recurring plagues of foresight that plagued him in the moments before waking -that would point him to the Cathedral of Ragnos. Said cathedral was empty... save for Lord Helonus, who was knelt before the statue of the long-dead Dark Lord of the Sith. The pontiff was absent, returned to his quarters for the evening, and thus the church ought to have been locked and barred to the public.

No door was closed to a Lord of the Sith, however. It was opened willingly, or it was broken down; such was their providence, their right as greater beings; blessed by the Darkness with the means to achieve true freedom.

If and when the Grand Tribune's Apprentice came, Lord Helonus would be waiting. He would be ready. Jutrand was only the beginning.
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[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was not often that he would receive visions. Especially not visions like this. This was not his duel with his Mistress at Fiviune, where Consume Essence had gone farther than he had expected and granted him a sight of his Mistress' past. This had not been the ashes of the great Darth Marr making communication with him, showing him his forefather's fall, showing him the location of his Holocron on Korriban.

This was something entirely different, and thus, something entirely more intriguing. Both others had explanations, the first desperation in his actions, the first signs of Drain Knowledge making itself evident in his abilities and skills, the second the connection he held to his heirloom, the ashes that were still very much alive, millennia after the death of the great Darth Marr, that which sensing the blood of a descendant, reacted to aid him as best it could.

Yet what was he to make of this vision?

The Cathedral of Ragnos, made to honour a Sith Lord, a Dark Lord of the Sith, that predated even the great Darth Marr, he had made no effort to receive visions of this place, he nor his great ancestor had connection to this place.

So why was he brought here?

It was time to find out.

The pitter-patter of rain on his cloak did not change his pace, nor did the trudging of his boots through the puddles of filthy water, nor the storm of lightning in the distance. He was cloaked in the darkness, he was cloaked in general, continuing to march without a word, without a sound, with one hand grasped around the amulet, giving him all the warmth, all the comfort that he needed.

Under the shadow of the cathedral he marched, a door left open, he crossed. He had been here, a long time ago, not as a place of worship, but as a structural marvel. He, nor his family were Eternalists, he could appreciate being worshipped, though he was not one to enforce it. Though in saying that, it seemed he would need to speak to the Eternalists at some stage, some of them looked at him quite strangely, it was not a bad look, it was rather positive, and he had an idea of what it was.

The great Darth Marr was a saint of the Eternalist church.

That made him the descendent of a saint, what exactly did that mean?

The coolness of the water gave way to the temperature of the Cathedral, candles provided the only warmth, while a chandelier at the top, the only light. It was silent in here, deserted, it was not as if in this darkened night one would come for mass.

He would have left it at that, continued to look around perhaps, but leave and research the meaning of the visions, perhaps speak to his Mistress, content for this to be some odd anomaly.

That was of course if he was truly alone here.

The large imposing statue of Marka Ragnos, held beneath, kneeling in his honour, a man that he knew... or at least knew of. It was not as if he had ever the pleasure to meet the man personally, though they had fought on many of the same theatres, even in different fronts, Terminus, Demonsgate, and Eliad, if his memory had recalled.

Darth Helonus, a disciple of the Emperor, and Sith Lord in his own right.

Had the Emperor finally deemed it time to strike against him, as he had so threatened?

He was sorely tempted to draw his lightsaber.

A strike of lightning illuminated the Cathedral grounds, his breath calmed, as his hand was still placed over the amulet, he bowed his head, in a show of respect.

"Darth Helonus, I had not thought you so pious to pray at this time of night," Malum idly noted, his mind moving a mile a minute on how he would escape this situation if it turned violent.

Rayden Helonus

 

[Rayden Helonus]

A S C E N S I O N
LOCATION - Jutrand, Ragnos District, Cathedral of Ragnos
TAGS - Darth Malum of House Marr

"Prayer is for the weak, who have not the power nor the conviction to break their chains."

The Dark Lord said, rising slowly as he turned to face Malum; all the while, tasting the rising tension and apprehension in the young Sith. That was, till the lightning struck one of the many spires dotting Jutrand's city surface and brought him back to the moment. Brushing his hood back to his shoulders, he reached up and gripped his mask, pulling it off with a satisfying hiss. His crimson skin and glowing-golden eyes a handsome contrast to his reaper's robes and the gloomy backdrop.

"Malum, if I might address you so plainly, I can sense your many questions, most of which I can answer." he began, confidently, as he stepped from the raised altar he had been knelt before, slowly approaching the sith apprentice as he spoke. "Yes, it was I who called you here, who provoked your visions. No, I do not intend to harm you. Yes, I execute the Emperor's will. No, I am not privy to his full plans."

Rayden said, his calm and calculated tone articulating each syllable with the accent of an Imperial aristocrat; a small similarity to note. "As for why I have called you here, I would begin with an anecdote." he said, "Marka Ragnos, in the Pantheon of the Eternal, is the Lord of Ascension. He was the first of the Old Masters to truly transcend death."

"Tonight is the night of my ascension, Malum. Till today, I have been a Darth without claim, without a powerbase. Fortunately, the recent death of Darth Sullene on Exegol has created a power vacuum. As you know, his powerbase encompassed the Ragnos, Hord and Nadd Districts." he digressed, "Tonight, his council will meet in his citadel here, in the Ragnos District. I intend to seize control of his powerbase and subjugate his council."

He paused, both in speech and movement, as he stood a mere few feet from the apprentice; power washed from him like mist from a waterfall, reservoir of such magnitude it was incomparable save to the leading sith of the Empire. "It requires more subtlety than I am capable of alone, truth be told, and I believe we both require an influential ally in each other's political spheres, do we not?" Darth Helonus queried, rhetorically.

"I require your services as an assassin, and will have more than enough resources to ensure you are properly rewarded should you succeed." he said, "Name your price, and I will divulge the specifics of my plan. Make an ally of me, and I will protect you to the best of my ability, if you offer the same to me."

The Dark Lord concluded, extending a gloved hand from where it had rested behind his back. As he did so, lightning struck another spire, not far off. It's thunderous roar accentuating the silence of the storm, as if nature itself held it's breath while he spoke; the blue light of the flash itself reflected by his darksteel armour, illuminating the gothically-styled lightsaber hung on his belt.

"What say you, Malum of House Marr?"
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[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Well at the very least Malum had established that the man was no zealot and that he was a pureblood Sith, very few of those still existed, and he knew none personally, even his friend Omon Kaa, who was only 1/4 a Sith Pureblood, even if he very much looked more it than the 3/4 Human he was actually.

Still though that much had been revealed to him, little else had been.

Malum stood his guard as he stood up from the alter, put aside his mask, and approached him. It was not that seeing his face had made him less fearful, indeed, the scar across his eye, perhaps made him even more intimidating. It was more that Malum had long since realised, that the man though not zealous in his beliefs of the Eternalist pantheon, still was likely pious.

If he turned and fled, he was much more likely to attempt to strike him down.

If he showed strength, and held his ground, that was much less likely.

Plus, it seemed the man was eager to answer questions, even those that Malum had not thought to ask.

The Source of the Visions? Him.

Was he in danger? No.

And then the information he had not even considered asking but was supremely useful enough to make this trip worthwhile even if nothing else came of it.

"He executes Darth Empyrean's will, even if not privy to all of his plans, that still places him highly in the Eternalist hierarchy, yet that does leave the question of who in the hierarchy is privy to all of his plans, no one?" Malum's mind remembered the beautiful woman sitting beside the Emperor, the former Exarch of the Confederacy of Independent Systems... would she be aware?

Still, it was all conjecture, and he was still in a position that he would rather not be, his eyes flickered to attention as the claimed Darth Lord continued to speak.

He spoke of metaphor, of Marka Ragnos representing ascension within the Eternalist Pantheon, items which he had known academically, but to hear of a believer speaking of it... being quite another matter. Malum became far more focused when he laid out his goals, and what the metaphor meant. It was ambitious certainly, took take one district under the nose of the Eternalist eye on Jutrand was enough of an uphill battle, mitigated or not by the fact that the man before him was one of their ilks, but to take three? It would be climbing the tallest of mountains. Yet, what better time was there than now? The planet was still reeling from the Kainite invasion, many districts lay in ruin, and according to what Darth Helonus had said, these districts were especially susceptible, the head of their snake had been cut off, and now the limbs fought between themselves for control.

The carrion were circling.

Malum's head was slightly tilted upwards, to stare into the dark amber eyes, the proposition put forth was certainly an interesting one. An alliance between the executor of the Eternalists and the apprentice of the Tsis'Kaar, it was powerful if unconventional alliance, yet it was the alliance that held the Sith Order together now, was it not? His Mistress would not fault him for making this agreement, it would only increase their influence on Jutrand, their influence that was nebulous at current, destroyed in the blackhole of Eternalist sanctuary.

Yet it would likely be far from an equal alliance.

How could a Dark Lord, claimed or not, stomach making such an alliance with a mere apprentice?

He could stomach the appearance of subordination, but it was his objective to make this relationship, as de facto equal as he could.

Lightning struck as Malum lowered his head, "I am honoured that you would invite me for such a proposition, Darth Helonus," Malum said, a show of subordination, a stroking of the ego that was at the very least imparted truthfully, he was just after all an apprentice, his head moved back up, "I would be eager to be your ally in this endeavor, and within the Empire itself, for my price, or my reward, if you prefer, I would only ask for the Nadd District to administer independently, but also in your name, as your official direct subordinate, above all others." It was a gamble certainly, but the District would do much to increase his own influence on the planet, and he hoped with it being termed as him being subordinate to the claimed Dark Lord, that he would be open to the proposal.

Rayden Helonus

 

[Rayden Helonus]

A S C E N S I O N
LOCATION - Jutrand, Ragnos District, Cathedral of Ragnos
TAGS - Darth Malum of House Marr

"Your flattery is appreciated, though unnecessary." the Dark Lord said plainly, his psychopathic mind directed solely on the matter at hand. "The Nadd District is a wise first step in your rise, a... what is the human term for it?" he paused briefly, his tone only highlighting his awareness of the gap between him and the dominant species of the Empire and, indeed, the Galaxy at large. "Ah, yes... It would be your training wheels, so to speak."

"As you say, you would fill a notable position within my powerbase, by taking control of one of my districts." Helonus confirmed, beginning to pace, pensively, whilst the thunderstorm pounded away at the cathedral. "As it is your wish, I will allow you the freedom to administer it's daily affairs, a city manager, so to speak." pausing mid-step, the Sith Lord regarded the young Marr once again. "My only stipulations are that, of course, you follow my directives, sparingly that I shall issue them, as your rightful lord. Furthermore, no artefact, however small, may leave the Great Vault of Antiquities without my blessing; the same goes for the Grand Archives."

"If all is clear and to your agreeance, I digress;" Darth Helonus queried, before continuing his measured pace. "As I said, Darth Sullene's powerbase is in shambles, his council meets tonight in the Ragnos District. They are worn away by their own infighting. It is my belief that, with your espionage and my martial prowess, we shall be able to cut the heads of his hydra before they might regrow."

"To my knowledge, we have mere hours before the summit. I require you to forge evidence of treason within their systems, proof of dissidence and traitorous intent. I care little for the content, so long as it criminalises them, should the Emperor pry into their deaths." he stated, as though it were an instruction. "For this part, I shall accompany you and assist in clearing a path, and provide a distraction when needed. Once the evidence is forged, I see no surer approach than to lie in way in their council chambers, and seal the doors for a final showdown."

"Without doubting your skill in combat, I believe it best if you allow me to draw their attention whilst you 'watch my back', so to speak. Pick your targets and strike when they least expect you, and our victory shall be assured." he stopped his pacing again, his golden gaze meeting the crimson eyes of the young Marr.

"Lest you have any objections, I believe it best that we make haste to Ragnos' Rise. It would be most unpleasant if the council should interrupt us before we are prepared."
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