Private Ave Nihilum

[Onrai]

Jedi Temple, Tython, post-invasion
Spindle

The deed was done. The invasion was over. Once more, Tython had fallen under the control and influence of Darksiders, and Onrai’s opportunity to claim her ground on this world was fast at hand. Presently, as the threat of Eina L'lerim-Vandiir had diminished with the rest of the conflict, Onrai’s remaining essence now roamed the halls of the temple itself. She expected that obligatory looting of artifacts would commence the moment the last Alliance resistance had been eliminated and focus could be applied to the Temple. However, Onrai wasn’t here for holograms, or lightsabers, or the preserved relics of the Sith.

No, she was here for far more arcane items.

Linking into the archive computer core and polluting the conversational holograms with her presence, she searched through the record of stored artifacts for things most esoteric, whose value was unknown save to the select and chosen few. Her inspection, however, was broken as she sensed the presence of another. Yes, there was one here who sought similar access to knowledge, though not likely identical to her own pursuits. Still… perhaps it would be beneficial if maybe they were able to assist each other.

So it was that Onrai began to travel through the archives, looking for the one whose search for knowledge was of such equal potency to her own.

 

[Spindle]

Spindle's lip curled in distaste as she scanned the flickering screen of an archive terminal. She would've much rather enjoyed diving right into physical texts, preferring the feel of parchment over the detachment of digital text any day. Alas, the sheer amount of text made such a preference a lofty inconvenience, just as the residual threat of whatever remaining Jedi protectors made dedicating her full focus an act of stupidity. Spindle wasn't stupid. Enthusiastic, sure, in her own twisted way, but self-preservation still held precedence.

The pale Nagai's face relaxed as she drifted further into her research, keywords bearing interesting discoveries, items to follow up on. A delighted little grin tugged at her lips when the terminal flagged more recent searches as restricted. She hadn't started this investigation with a particular goal in mind, but the promise of Jedi-ordained forbidden knowledge was too good to pass up.

A beat passed, her brow furrowed, the specter coming to a pause. There was someone - something? - else on the edge of her senses. Unknown, unfamiliar, fascinating. She continued with the terminal, albeit slower, on guard.

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

Spindle

Onrai’s link with the archives remained active for long enough that she was able to identify the terminal in question that was being accessed. She began to walk towards it, silent footsteps leaving no trace. Pondering of how best to give an entrance of appropriate grandeur, she decided that the most she could possible do was give a loud sigh that resonated throughout the archive room, the acoustics giving it an almost ethereal quantity - and perhaps it was a bit ethereal on its own. Having announced her presence verbally, she continued to walk towards the terminal in question.

After a bit of a walk, her shadowed form, a blackened silhouette of a women with milky orbs of optics that gave no sign of where she was looking at came into view. Though her stride was the same as anyone else, something about her motions looked aberrant, wrong compared to that of the galaxy itself. She continued to walk towards the woman as she herself examined her - the pointed ears, the pale skin, the aura of darkness. She was not a Sith, that much Onrai could tell from her garb, but she was no single-minded servant of the light either.

“Greetings.” She said. “It is good to see another who seeks the knowledge left shackled by the former owners of this temple. I am Onrai.” Whether the name was of significance or not, she was unsure. “What is it you seek? Perhaps we may be able to yet find the truth together.”

 

[Spindle]

Shoulders tensed as the sigh emanated throughout the archives, stained fingers drifting away to the terminal to the lightsaber that hung on her belt. Any other day, any other place, and the lightsaber would hang their nigh-forgotten, Spindle favoring the more personal touch of sheers and thread to carry out her twisted deeds. Here, however, where Jedi could easily be lurking, unaware of their defeat, the saber was a begrudging necessity.

Spindle watched with gleaming curiosity as the woman came into view. With no discernable features save for pale orbs for eyes, it briefly crossed Spindle's mind that this figure could be a defense system for the archives themselves. That thought was dismissed almost as soon as it was formed, for no Jedi she'd met could conjure up such a mystery. The Nagai wielded uncanny, with limbs too long and smile too wide, with gleeful precision yet even she noted a general dissonance between this newcomer and the world they currently inhabited. It was most intriguing.

The name was unfamiliar, though the way the shadowed woman declared it suggested it should mean something. Spindle's head tilted to the side in consideration, at an angle that would've produced a chorus of pops from any with vertebrae of less elasticity. "A pleasure, I'm sure. You may call me Spindle." She paused, considering her next words carefully. "Oh, lil ol' me? Well, I seek what everyone does. No secret unturned and all, no? And what of you, dearie? Any sliver in particular in this small sea of knowledge?"

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

Spindle

“There are many secrets that have been left unturned, despite so long of the Sith and Jedi trying to divine it. Such is the way of the universe, with but a speck grown so grossly in grandeur.” A part of her did sense that the woman before her was no Jedi and no Sith, but the specificities of her identity were yet inconsequential. The importance was in finding what it was that she specifically came to see.

“I seek not the petty holocrons or dataslates of information retold and regurgitated ad infinitum. Stored here in the forbidden section of the library are documents most maleficent, their knowledge from beings who span far beyond the history we know. Such profane content is only of value to those who know what truly lies within the pages - to those who know of the Father of Shadows and his schemes. Even here may secrets be unveiled - have you heard of the Abyss of Ruh?”

Perhaps this woman would be able to help her discover the secret to the most profane and hidden cypher of Tython, the only thing she cared about on this planet.

 

[Spindle]

The Nagai's brow creased as the enshadowed entity spoke. "That's quite the dismissive approach, no?" she mused, attention briefly returning to the terminal for one more search. Again, restricted. How delightfully puzzling. The ghost of a noncommital shrug briefly graced her shoulders, not exactly surprised by the entity's dismissal of the more, she supposed, mundane secrets. There were too many unknowns to craft a fully formed opinion, but the figure before her certainly suggested this Onrai was beyond that of a regular Jedi or Sith.

"The term is...familiar," she paused mid-sentence trying to think back to any specifics she may have heard or from where the familiarity came from. "I can't say I'm well versed with the specifics. It's not something that comes up often, as I'm sure you're getting at." And with the lecture that preceded the question, it wouldn't be something with information readily gathered, Spindle assumed. Though context clues suggested here of all places would have the information Onrai spoke of. "Sounds like quite the puzzle indeed."

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

Spindle

“The past is not something so easily remembered.” She said. “The galaxy so quickly forgets that what they call myth has a basis of reality. Via. The Soulworm. Mekal. Even the Fanged God and Winged Goddess are claimed to be a myth by some, though I do know better.” She smiled, before stepping over and looking at the last search. So, what Spindle was looking for was also to be found in the restricted archives. From her interfacing with the system, she knew precisely where it was they would need to go in order to enter in. It was time to strike and to claim whatever one could from the collection before the vultures came.

“I suppose we don’t have long. Let’s head to the restricted archives and we should be able to open it up.” She said. On the way to examine it, she asked an interesting question.

“I don’t get the sense you are a Sith - what, pray tell, are your beliefs, and do you perhaps believe in the existence of a god or gods?”

 

[Spindle]

More names, some familiar, some not, and still some were very, very familiar. Those who didn't believe, or at the very least respect, the figures of old were fools.

She took a step back as Onrai approached the terminal, still playing it safe, distrust being her ally. The search history was less one with intention and more seeing what could and couldn't be searched and with that, secrecy wasn't a particular concern.

A dark brow rose against paper-pale skin. "Expecting company?" Nevertheless, if Onrai knew where the restricted area was and how to get in, Spindle had no issue with being a tag-along.

"My master would have me say otherwise," Spindle answered with a dissonant chuckle. Her place among the Sith was admittedly a strange one, more an invasive species than a true believer. "If the Fanged God saw fit that I join the Wild Hunt, it would be without question. And what of you? Are there any you're particularly beholden to?"

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

Spindle

"I know how these things go." She said. "We're lucky to be here as early as we are. It means we get the firstfruits of whatever the temple's archives have to offer, before the lesser and less fortunate come to loot even the most minor of trinkets." It was an inevitability as she stepped back and focused, the information she had gleaned from the Temple computers finally flowing through her mind. "This way." She said, motioning for Spindle to follow her as she began to trace a path towards the restricted archives.

"Your master would be wrong to deny the existence of such. But the question then becomes, what is a god? Some would say the only god is the Maker, apathetic and uninterventionist as the Father of Lights may be. Others may devote themselves to Lluxos, or Wutzek, or any number of the other Celestials, whether fallen or not - only the most profane know of the Father of Shadows or his servants among the Ancient Ones. The Celestials are indifferent, the Six dead and sealed away. As for Eipha..." She said for a moment, speaking one of the most ancient names of that being. "I doubt he will be doing much soon - though if you wish to see him yourself, I can offer you that much." Though she was uncertain how the woman would take it, she did still know of the location of Vitae, the planet of Abeloth, and still possessed the means to open the gateway he and the others in his family had used to escape her.

The last question was the most interesting one - was she beholden to anyone? Truly? There were no shackles on her except her own limitations. That she would not utterly subjugate herself to Solipsis was evidence of that, her value still remaining within the Empire enough to have been a part of the tribunal and to have held relationships with those from Maestus to Darth Vinaze . Perhaps it was best to be honest - there was no reason to remain masked in the presence of one such as this.

"I am beholden to none but the Maker should he dare deign to intervene in this plane - and he will not. Others are beholden to me - I answer their prayers, bless their crops, aid their births, and treat their worship with appropriate reward instead of intimidation or indifference. Godhood demands that duty be paid to those who worship as much as it should be taken." Her experiences with the cult of the Kainate had more than discouraged her from pursuing a similar path to the former Emperor of the Sith Empire, someone whose own worshippers had more than willingly supplicated themselves to the one who saved them from the death of Panatha when their cries to their god were unanswered.

"You're a very curious sort of woman. I appreciate that." She said, complimenting the witch as they grew ever closer to the restricted archives.

 

[Spindle]

The long fingers of the elongated specter of a being drifted along the spines of holobooks as they progressed through the archives. Had she not an audience nor be pressed for time, she would've stopped at random to skim through whatever item the stained fingers landed on. Hours, if not days or weeks, could be lost in such a fashion with one intellectual deep dive after another.

"Oh, you misunderstand. I know not where my master aligns himself in matters of faith, only in matters of the Force." If Lord Letifer was a devout individual, he hadn't shown it. It was just another item on the long list of things that would one day prove a mistake for the lord of the Sith. When exactly that day would come remained to be seen, but Spindle was more than determined.

A darkened brow against paper-pale skin rose at the mention of Eipha. "You simply must expand on that," the Nagai breathed, beady eyes widened at the prospect, albeit shrouded still in skepticism. It wasn't every day one claimed direct contact with a god, let alone hold the power to actually follow through with such a claim.

"And you would know Godhood, I take it" less a question and more an observation, drawn by Onrai's speech. Spindle was not without a healthy amount of doubt, but did well to mask anything overtly skeptical. Belief or not, she certainly wouldn't want to be proven wrong the hard way.

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

Onrai gave a spectral grin, barely discernible in her midnight profile as they traveled onwards. Eying the Nagai woman's glances towards the innumerable holobooks and titles, she piped up. "If we're fast enough, you may be able to grab much before the looters come." She grew more curious insofar as who the master of Spindle was - whoever they were, they were a particularly enigmatic being, one Onrai was most curious to cross paths with down the line.

Her response to the woman's inquiry on expanding further her enunciations about the Fanged God would perhaps give Spindle more of a reason to consider what the enigmatic shadow-being could yet offer."It is quite simple - there is a pathway to the world of Mortis, where the Ones called home and where they fled from the wrath of the one called Abeloth, the last vestige of purity within the Soulworm. If you wish, I can take you there and you may gaze upon the same Fanged God who once said to StarCrow the Wise: 'Revere me and do all that I command, and life forever I give in this deal. Seek out veiled knowledge worthy of merit, set yourself free, be born-again as grand. A crown I give, you are set with my seal. From here you have no limit.' But you would need to give me a reason to, for mere satisfaction is yet not enough a reason."

To the last comment, she chuckled. "I would, though it was neither easily obtained nor paradisical and idyllic. One cannot be a god and shirk in their obligations to their worshippers. Even Ooradryl and the rest of the Kindred yet granted that to those who sacrificed on the shrines of the Fellowship of Kooroo." At last, she stopped before a section of wall, next to which was a keypad. A shadowed hand soon touched it, the inky ichor of her essence mingling with it, infiltrating it and touching the knowledge it contained much like she had the other point of access. In response to a soft sigh, an indication of the effort yet exerted, the section of the wall opened up, revealing a pathway to the restricted archives. Onrai withdrew her hand from the keypad and looked back at Spindle with her irisless eyes.

"Shall we go?"

Spindle

 

[Spindle]

The Nagai gave a short nod. If there was time, certainly, she could pick the shelves more thoroughly. The archives had been her primary objective with buying time in mind. The likelihood of looters knowing what to look for was also a statistic to take comfort in. Let them thin out the shelves of all the flashy drivel.

Her eyes narrowed as the enshadowed entity carried on, lips pursed. To lay eyes on her god, not just iconography or a zealot claiming to be a vessel, was ever always a farfetched dream more than anything. The kind you didn't put any stake into just from the sheer absurdity of it. And here this entity was offering more than a mere visual. Spindle could scarcely believe the reality of such an offer. No, she wouldn't, not yet.

"To be expected. And what would be your price for such a journey? I cannot imagine it being an easy feat."

Dark eyes gleamed as the pathway to the restricted archives was revealed, Spindle all but sliding into the passageway with an unnatural grace. The public archives had some gems hidden among the basic instructions and philosophy, sure, but the contents of this section held her interests to a tee. "Perhaps it's best if that pathway is resealed, at least for the moment. Better what looters come only fine the common archives."

Onrai ​

 

[Onrai]

"Only to assist me in finding that which I seek here."

There was no reason to ask for Spindle to pledge herself to Onrai's teachings, or to go on some grandiose quest. No, that was an unnecessarily overcomplicated thing which would not be worth the simple reward in question of visiting Mortis and observing the truth of the Twin Gods. Besides, once Onrai possessed that which she sought to recover from here, what she would gain would be worth far more than merely offering the equivalent of a Celestial vacation.

Onrai followed as Spindle headed down the concealed passageway. A hand raised, and behind them the door shuddered for a moment before falling down and closing behind them. The two were alone, and secure as they headed into the forbidden archives of the temple. Malevolent power was already evident here, more so than anything one could have expected. Yet Onrai was after something much more valuable than mere trinkets of the Sith, or holocrons containing information that had been regurgitated ad infinitum. No, the knowledge she sought was regarding certain forbidden topics that perhaps a handful of people in the entire galaxy would know anything about.

"Have you ever heard of the Witches of Dyzan?" She asked off the cuff.

Spindle