Dice of the Empire

[Atlas Kane]

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Vendaxa, Jungles

The rain pattered onto the leaves of the Jungle's trees. It had been raining for a few days now, the muddy ground was giving in to the young Panteer's boots; It made walking somewhat difficult. While his boots were already quite sullied with mud the rest of his attire was still fine, thanks to an umbrella wand his other attire remained dry and clean, and in addition to protecting him from rain the slightly glowing cone also illuminated the area around him his torch drone didn't. Though he had already wandered a long distance, there was still some ground to cover if he wanted to reach his goal; That goal being an ancient temple devoted to the dark side that his master had instructed him to investigate. The small datapad Ahren had taken with him indicated that the temple would be a few kilometres further ahead, welcomed news for him. The jungles of Vendaxa were not known to be the most comfortable places, especially not when it rained. Many predators lurked between the trees, deadly creatures that can slice a humanoid in half with their claws or rip them to bits in an instant. Not the best place to spend one's vacation.

But Ahren was here and he had been walking through the massive jungle for a few days now without encountering any greater foes. Some minor creatures had attacked the Sith Acolyte on the previous day, however they were dispatched with ease. Ahren knew not to grow too overconfident however, for the other beasts would prove to be a much greater threat to him and his quest. For now he did not perceive or see any living thing nearby. Just the rain, the trees, the vegetation and the occasional bug skittering along the ground. Hopefully it would continue like this, the journey had been long enough already, there would be little point in extending it even further by stopping to combat some of the more dangerous local wildlife.

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[member="Aleister Drakul"]

Spoiler

• Rolled Survival to navigate the jungle [0/5]

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[Darth Vulcanus]

GM POST:
Who'll Stop The Rain?

The shroud of rain had turned the labyrinth of trees into an abysmal nightmare, the likes of which would break most men. The earth swallowed his boots with every step, a fate which he only escaped through furiously wrestling his feet away from the great, teething maw of the mud. Low hanging branches hid behind a veil of battering wind and rain until the last minute, when the Sith had no time to ract before finding himself running head first into the jagged bark. Branches jabbed at him. Bugs chewed on his skin. Critters nested in his hair.

And that was before the trench foot started settling in.

Ahren, however, was a Sith. Sith did not know weakness. They did not know pain that didn't give them strength. He would harness his misery. Harness the darkness within himself and carry ever forward. Leave flew aside, blood drained down the skin from cuts and bruises and still he carried forward. Rain pelted his body day in and out since the moment he arrived and the insects nestled in his skin had begun to suck on his veins like candy. Still he carried forward. He could feel it now. He was getting closer to his goal. The reason he'd come here. The power he saught was just a little further now.

Pushing past the wall of tropical fauna, Ahren saw a glow in the distance. The jungle echoed a light hum from up ahead that helped guide him through the rain. He had found it! He had finally made it to the temple! Power was his! He burst into a run, hilt on his lightsaber and read to be drawn for the combat that surely awaited beyond the trees. Closer he got and harsher the glow became. With a deep breath he burst past the trees.

A giant stood before him, wings spread wide in the sky as if ready to beat the air into submission as it took to its might flight. Ahren readied his blade, squinting through the rain. That's when he realized something. Something that made his heart drop into his stomach.

He was starring at his own shuttle. The shuttle he had arrived on days earier...There was an advantage though...there was a second hum closing in from a distance...


Player Post:

Luxury. One could not proclaim he held power, status and wealth if he did not lead a life of luxury. A life induldged with the finer things in life. A crystal chalice was brought up delicatly to pale lips, the edge meeting skin but the red liquid inside kept just from tongues reach. Aleister inhaled the sweet aroma of the nectar within, a redolent mixture of fine ingrediants caressing his senses. The sweet tang of red grapes entangled with the piquant sweetness of tabacco in a dance of sensation that embraced Aleister warmly.

With eyes closed he tilted the glass, allowing but a smidgen of the wine to caress his tongue. The chill bit at his taste buds, but he kept to swirling the fruity concotion about in his mouth as he let the aged beverage settle in. Delicate, sweet and smooth. Perfect. Swallowing, Aleister opened his eyes and allowed a sigh of pleasure to escape from deep in his chest as he twirled the frosty glass between his fingers.

"Splendid. Simply...splendid." He gasped the words, his eyes turning to the viewport opposite his velvet seat. What had been a light drizzle in high atmosphere had turned into a barrage of persperation as the ship descended. The rain pelted the window, beating silently against the glass. He smiled behind his cup, golden eyes piercing through the storm as it passed by. "Pity I have to subject myself to such peasentries, isn't it darling?" Aleister turned to his left where a young, human woman sat, red hair cascading down her shoulder. Her skin delicate, but pale, showing the perfection of a youth who'd known no more than sixteen years. The girl's dead, blue eyes turned to him as he spoke; yet they seemed to stare at nothing.

"Yes, Mi'lord, a pity." she repeated in monotone.

"But progress shan't be halted for a little rain, will it Ezabel? A man must sometimes do the unbecoming thing in the name of progress."

A lifeless nod, "Yes, Mi'lord."

A self-rightous smile curled Aleister's lips, his glass lowered to his knee whilist he held out his opposite hand to the Ezabel, "Your arm, Ezabel."

The young girl did so without question, sleeve pulled up her arm before she rested her wrist upsidedown in Aleister's palm. Cold fingers ran up her forearm, caressing the pink, welted scars that broke her otherwise perfect complexion. "I think I'll start here today." Aleister said, more to himself than Ezabel, placing his thumb on a blue vein half-way up her forearm. A glint of light reflected just under his nail as a razor sharp claw slid from underneath, slipping out from under his thumbnail without so much as cracking it.

Running the tip length wise along her arm, Aleister drew a steady stream of blood that ran down her arm and trickled to the floor; his mind focusing on drawing out the life energy inside her along with it. Taking her arm and holding it upside down, Aleister held his chalice under her the wound, bending it so that the blood would flow more freely into his wine. "Clarence, how much longer until we make landing?" Aleister called to the pilot, his eyes studying Ezabel's blood as it ran into his wine.

"Two minutes, mi'lord" Clarence replied in the same monotone as Ezabel had, his dead eyes focused on a landing zone beside a shuttle that was already resting in the rain...

[member="Ahren Panteer"]

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[SIZE=13.65px]

Spoiler

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[Amarthaer Saptheth]

Rolled hard survival since she's been in the jungle for a few days.

Spoiler

GM Post:

For the most part making landfall was successful, the landing gear of the ship settling into the mud that plastered across the landing zone due to the endless rain. However, there were certain details that brainwashed pilots weren't able to pick up that were otherwise crucial to an entirely smooth touchdown. Natural dangers were rampant when it came to a rainstorm, but thankfully there would be no falling branches to impact the ship and render it useless. No, everything about the landing would proceed as expected, with no unusual complications. There was only one detail worthy of noting: the only viable landing zone lay in the middle of what had now been reduced to a veritable field of mud. And one had best be careful, else they're liable to take a rather unpleasant fall.

Player Post:
Music

It had been less than a day that Amarthaer had spent on the surface of Vendaxa, having been sent to the jungle world in order to search for any Dark Side artifacts within this or that temple located sporadically across the planet. More than that, however, this was a test. Within the jungles of this planet resided some of the most dangerous predators the known galaxy had to offer, and she was entirely unarmed save for her own ethereal talents. The majority of the less deadly native wildlife saw fit to avoid her after a few less than pleasant encounters, and she was for the most part left alone to her own devices. Everything had been far from silent, but at the very least there had been some form of peace.

Until now. Now the silence was broken, first by a ship that cut through the canopy of trees a few days previous, and now another that saw fit to do the same. It hadn't escaped her notice that the second vessel landed near the first, and she saw fit to assume the two were affiliated in some manner yet unknown to her. Regardless of their purpose here, this was the first truly sentient life she had happened upon since her days spent on the planet, and the first individuals she found herself in the presence of that weren't either her masters or one she had been sent to kill. These were neutral entities, but not those she trusted in the least. It had long been ingrained in her mind that the presence of outsiders was something to avoid, for both of their sakes.

From within the shadows she stood as a simple observer, already dirty hair further sullied by the rain hanging in her face and down past her waist in unclean strands. Dried mud clung to her form haphazardly as a consequence of nothing more than her surroundings, but even if that was washed away there would still be patches of skin dusky or completely blackened by a corruption far more deep-seated than anything in the natural world. Eyes that burned reminiscent of smoldering embers peered out at the two strangers, but she made no move to step forward or properly introduce herself. There wasn't even an attempt to antagonize them, for they were no threat, but merely a curiosity. How likable a one remained to be seen.

[member="Aleister Drakul"], [member="Ahren Panteer"]