Culling of the Great Ones

[Bryce Bantam]

​

Evening - Wilds of the Southern Jungles - Lost city of Tilikez

A great bonfire burned in the center of the holy city. The home to Clan Rha in the early days of the planet's colonization it had been abandoned for centuries, and only visited by those who ventured there for matters of the spirit. Bryce sat alone by the fire and played with a nearby log with a stick he had picked up from the ground. Sparks flew as he rolled the burning hunk of wood back toward the center. The fire made strange patches of light and shadow on his face as Bryce looking out onto the darkening forest.

It was nearing the time of the long night and the jungle seemed to grow more ominous by the minute. This was to be the night of the great culling for the lands of Clan Rha. The recent rebellion had left them weak in numbers and though usually forbidden to outsiders, the Guzerre had reluctantly caved to reason and allowed not only the new Csahe'eb of the clan but some of his outworlder friends to join. Bryce had sworn on his honor those who came would be a pure, noble spirits and honor the lives of the "Kirnk Llusa" as would he.

Other warriors from the Clan's previous hunts milled around but few even paid Bryce any attention. He was not one of them yet. He was known to be an honorable and accomplished soldier but this was the hunt, and many who began this journey never survived. For him to be welcomed by the Twi'lek warriors as family, he would need to prove himself this night as would those he had allowed to join him.

So next to the fire Bryce waited, as the sun continued to march for the horizon. He waited for the others to come so the purification rituals could begin.

Spoiler

[member="Nawago"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] - All set and ready to go, jump on in whenever you want and I seriously recommend playing the link I placed on the word evening, really helped set the mood while a write this.

 

[Nate Phantoms]

Things were bad, horrible to be exact, first, he had to watch his best friend nearly die, and then his girlfriend was stolen from him, and just a few moments after finding her, she was gone, taken forever;the sounds of the explosion still rang in his head, and his nightmares. Bryce might not even remember his once bright and cherry friend.

This wasn't what he wanted to do, but he needed an outing, endless slaughter of slavers and traffickers wasn't good for your health, and the wear and tear was visible on his face, between the permanent blank face, and the eyes that burned like a nuclear explosion. Stepping over a log, the glare of a massive bonfire caught his attention, and he kept walking. He got a few weary stares, and he turned his burning gaze on them, and they soon shyed away.

Upon closer examination, he noticed [member="Bryce Bantam"] sitting, alone, and he approached him, sitting on the hard floor beside his young friend, all was silent, aside from the crackling of the fire and sounds of nocturnal animals.

OOC

Spoiler

Yes, it was very fitting

 

[TC-91]

Spiritual was never the word that he would use to describe himself, yet here he was, marching through the jungles. A new change of pace never bothered him, he had needed a soothing experience lately. He also wished to prove his worth, since he had only joined the Outback a bit earlier. Pushing his way through the final layer of trees and leaves, civilization came into view. The coordinates he was told to head to were close, so it must have been the city he was looking for. He entered.

As he walked, he took a quick look at the datapad he had been carrying, reading both the message about the mission and the coordinates of where he should be heading to make sure that he was going in the right direction. The image of the beast they would be hunting was definitely an interesting sight to behold. Nawago kept reading the final rule about fighting the creature. 'You may not use ranged weapons'. Good thing that using brute force was his strong suite. Hearing the crackling of a fire ahead, he held the datapad at his side and made sure to be careful as he approached his destination.

The large bonfire caught his attention up ahead, and he spotted two figures sitting in front of it. He assumed that those were the other members of the faction, as they were the only species besides Twi'Lek that resided there. Approaching the two and taking a seat, he couldn't help but noticed the nervous stares of the natives. He understood that it wasn't exactly common to see a wampa somewhere beside Hoth, but their looks still bothered him nevertheless.

Spoiler

[member="Bryce Bantam"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | Similar to what Nate said, the music was fitting and helped to write.

 

[Ulysses]

The ruins loomed, a foreboding monument to ages past. The falling sun cast soft and brilliant shadows across its cracked and decrepit buildings. Vines and other vegetation made the facades their homes, with creatures of varying sizes and hostility making the inner rooms theirs. It was a marvel of nature and a testament to life. For sentient life had built this sacred city of stone, and pure life had taken it back.

Now, the life that had constructed such a wonder in ages past returned. Not to reclaim, but to rest. On the outskirts of the city, the clan Rha, and the few outsiders among them, convalesced in the light of campfires, recuperating after a long, harsh, trek through the dense forest. Ulysses was among them.

The man was jaded, cracked and near broken. His spirit was noble and pure, but his soul had been molded by the harsh realities of life. Only the galaxy's many vices kept him from snapping into insanity. He knew this, and was always seeking to try and remedy this problem with unorthodox methods. This proclaimed spiritual hunt was one of them.

So, on a log he sat, not far from the other outsiders among the clan, and discreetly marveled at the sunlit ruins in all their majesty whilst he still could.

[member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Nawago"]

 

[Bryce Bantam]

Bryce met the three each in order of appearance. First was his old friend and ally Nate, though he looked fit and healthy there was a was a void to him. Nate had always walked the tightrope of the line of salvation and damnation. From the rage in his eyes, it looked like the latter was beginning to win out. Bryce gave Nate a simple understanding nod. Something or things had happened to him, should he ever want to talk about them he could and Bryce would be there to listen.

The next to appear was the massive beast Nawago, with the pure look of a predator he had entered the area and parted the Twi'leks of Clan Rha before him. Bryce could almost fell the stairs of the clan's hunters upon the mighty wampa.

"Don't worry Nawago, they mean no harm. We are outsiders till we prove ourselves we will be looked on with suspicion."

The final member of their quartet entered and once he was seated the sun finally set low enough to the cleaning ceremony to begin. One by one the hunters of clan Rha were given a strange bubbling elixir to drink before their skin was adorn with the blood of the "Kirnk Llusa". The runes drawn upon the skin were meant to strengthen one's connection to the gods, while the elixir made of herbs from the forest to relax the mind and allow each hunter to listen to the will of the gods.

As Bryce came up it was his turn first. A goblet of the liquid was presented to him and he bowed to the Guzerre before gulping down the bitter potion. Fighting back the urge to vomit it back up as it burned all the way down to his stomach, the contents cause his head to swim and he fought back the light headed feeling so as to heeded the words from the holy man.

"Om'anse bless you on this day! May he grant you the strength of the heart and purity of soul to live as the "Kirnk Llusa" and join the great circle. Now hunter, honor your vow and recieve the blessings of the gods!"

[member="Ulysses"] [member="Nawago"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]

 

[Nate Phantoms]

He watched the clan hunters closely, then Bryce himself stand and receive the elixir, the be 'blessed' by the clans shaman. After Bryce received his runes, from the blood of the 'Kirnk LIusa' or something like that, it was Nate's turn next, and he rose slowly, the fire shadowing half of his face as he walked over to the Guzerre, receiving plenty of weary stares. They all whispered and pointed at his eyes, something that didn't bother him, it was part of his life now. Bowing deeply, he took the goblet offered to him, and downed it in one gulp, nearly coughing it back up. Not allowing such a thing to happen, he then had to listen to the man's words, then he was subjected over, and after.removing his shirt, he was adorned with about a dozen reddish runes, in contrast with his actual tattoo.

Shirt in hand, he walked back over to where Bryce was, awaiting the other to finish their 'rite of passage' if you will.

Spoiler

[member="Ulysses"] [member="Nawago"] [member="Bryce Bantam"]

 

[Ulysses]

Darkness descended upon all, resulting in a cessation of chatter and a strengthening of the campfires. Ulysses gazed into the core of his own crackling campfire, lost in the depths of his own memories. Memories of Ossus and of his own tribe, who used to hold rituals much like this one. His face was blank in the dim glow of the fire but the emptiness in his eyes described so much more than a facial expression ever could.

Movement and whisperings from the elders and shamans of the clan signaled something was underway, so the bounty hunter blinked his memories away and stood slowly. Eyeing the other outsiders who'd tagged along, he meandered over to them. He knew nobody personally, having chosen to keep to himself during the trek here, and chose to stand with them rather than the clan purely out of respect for their hosts.

He watched in slight amusement as Bryce and Nate underwent the initial ceremony, knowing fine well how awful the liquid that they'd just consumed tasted. It seemed that every tribal culture galaxy wide had their similarities.

Ulysses stepped up next, giving the Guzerre a curt nod with a clenched fist over his heart. The Guzerre handed him the receptacle with an almost knowing look in his eye, which Ulysses accepted with his free hand. Before he gulped down the elixir, Ulysses shot a glance skywards and paused a moment. His lips mouthed an indiscernible word before the man quickly poured the viscous liquid into his mouth and swallowed.

Seemingly unaffected by its foul taste, he passed the empty cup back and immediately went on to remove his armoured vest and shirt. He held them in either hand as the shaman applied the blood in swirling runes to his heavily scarred upper body and blessed the man.

Glistening in blood, Ulysses silently returned to the outsider group and discarded his shirt and vest in a neat pile by his feet.

[member="Bryce Bantam"] [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Nawago"]

 

[TC-91]

After watching the other three reluctantly drink the liquid and be blessed, it was finally Nawago's turn. The drink seemed to be dreaded, as most of his companions grimaced upon pouring it into their mouth. Walking up to the man baring the cup, he had both an anticipation of challenging himself with the taste, but also feared that he couldn't handle it. As he took it into his hands, he looked to the crowd of waiting hunters before quickly pouring it into his mouth. The liquid was thick, therefore forcing him to taste it. It tasted of bitter herbs, something he could handle for the most part but that still didn't stop him from gagging before finally pushing it down into his stomach.

The elixir was finally out of his mouth and into his stomach, but the taste still lingered in his mouth. The shaman scooped blood out of a pot and swiftly spread it over the wampa's fur before saying a blessing. Being allowed to sit back down next to his comrades, he awaited the rest of what shaman had to say.

[member="Bryce Bantam"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | [member="Ulysses"]

Spoiler

OOC: Just returned home from vacation a hour or so ago, so I'll be able to keep up the pace better than before.

 

[Bryce Bantam]

As the haze of the tonic cleared Bryce was left with what he could only describe as a euphoric feeling. Each star in the sky seemed to be closer and sharper. Each chirp and call of a creature in the forest beyond also spoke to him, as if encouraging him onward. He had never felt more at peace and connected to the force. Almost on instinct Bryce was drawn to a man on the forests edge. The old Twi'lek looked at Bryce with questioning eyes before asking.

"Who calls to you?"

"Kirha dos," Bryce replied without a moment's pause.

BB wasn't sure why he answers so quickly but he knew the answer without question. He could feel the creatures call without question. As soon as he drunk of the sacred elixir that names played in his mind. Seeking him out for answers.

"The revered mother calls to you, this is an honor young Csahe'eb. She has been a matriarch for some time among the "Kirnk Llusa", honor her with a quick and proper death."

After speaking he held up an old wooden shafted spear with a head of what looked like Ivory or bone and leather hide wrappings.

"The spear is made from the body of her first husband "Dirsi Barsaha", my spirit longs to be with her again among the Gods. Strike true young one, let our love be joined once."

With that, the Twi'lek seemed to join with the shadows around them and disappear into the night. What would a strange sight to most Bryce accepted with an understanding beyond his mortal thought. This night was going to be unlike anything else he experienced and he embraced the coming of it. Taking off his shoes Bryce felt the wet grass upon his feet. It was a comforting feeling as it brought him back to his childhood days in the wilds of Taris. With a joyous heart, Bryce left his world behind and armed only with a crude spear ran forth into the night, ready to meet whatever waited for him.

[member="Nawago"] | [member="Ulysses"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]