Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Divine Improvisation [Moross Crusade]

"Hello, I'm Amorella. I'm your Great Aunt,"

The moment those words left Amore's lips she winced. This... this was not at all how she imagined the introduction to her Great Nephew to go. She was standing tight-ankled in the entrance to a large courtyard chamber somewhere within this massive temple on Exocron. Where exactly this was in relation to anything else in the galaxy she knew was anyone's guess.

Her hands were sweaty so she stashed them at her back to stand as a Lady would stand, just like she'd been taught.

I hope I'm not overdressed.

She might've been. To any other magician within the Temple her fine Kuatian robes were likely rather presumptuous for such a small, personal meeting. To the gathering worshippers outside the Temple gates? They probably thought her a Priestess come to spread the word of lore. Everything was about perspective.

From her perspective she felt a bit foolish but decided not to let this show. Standing tall, regal and proper, she was everything one might come to expect of the daughter of Kuat's Queen. Soliael might not get that point ... well, yet anyway. He didn't even know who she was. Never met her. Never been told of her. Never seen a picture of her. What might tip him off, however, was the remarkable resemblance she bore to the woman he called 'Oma'. If the hell-fire red hair didn't immediately give her away, a familiarity of her Force Signature might just do the job. Amore's mother had told her these things in order to prepare her to meet this strange relative she'd never heard of before. Questions circled the young woman's mind just as she was certain they were circling his own as well.

Amore pressed her lips together as she waited, statuesque, for Soliael's response, wondering all along just what she had gotten herself into this time.

@[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
To his credit Soliael managed to keep a straight face for a few seconds. The Great Hall they stood in was of course empty of all people, including servants, as soon as Soliael had seen Amorella he had made perfectly sure of that. When she had entered the hall the pretend God had immediately seen the family resemblance between Amorella and his Grandmother. He had found it really disconcerting of course though he had guessed that this was some sort of relative. So of course Soliael had cleared the room of everyone, it had taken but a word.

When finally Amorella spoke and explained herself about half a dozen things ran through his mind. Chief among them was that this woman could not be older than thirty, though much more likely was in her twenty's. That in it of itself amused Soliael to absolutely no end.

So because of this after about a solid minute of staring at Amorella with a face of serious concentration and what could perhaps be mistaken for anger Soliael burst out into uproarious laughter. The Sith Lord laughed loudly, his sides nearly splitting open as he bent over and placed his hands on his knee's. After a solid minute of laughing Soliael looked back up at Amorella, the amusement slowly draining from his face, and then suddenly he burst back into laughter.

This happened two or three more times with each time Soliael laughing quite loudly until finally he stopped.

He looked at Amorella one final time, slight tears running down his face from the joy he had just been filled with. He wiped away the tears from his face and slowly began to walk towards her, then suddenly enveloped her in a quick embrace. “You are most welcome here.”
 
This … this was not at all how she imagined this to go.

At first, while he stared, she'd managed to remain unflinching. Patience, she felt, was warranted. It was likely much for the man to take in - gaining another family member without any sort of warning. Not to mention the rather absurd manner in which they were related. She was the fourth child of his grandmother, born over 150 years after himself. The family tree dictated her to be in a position of seniority … in some way, but the logistics of it was enough to make a normal human's head spin.

Really, her mother had implored, this was not as unusual as it seemed. Their kind were known for their longevity and their fertility. The two of which made for rather expansive and unusual lineage histories.

Amore inhaled, and it was at that moment she felt her resolve splinter; Soliael burst out laughing. But not just laughing, guffawing. Tickled as he was by this notion of their blood relations in comparison to their ages, his amusement didn't stop. It continued not for one, nor two, nor even three minutes. Five minutes of savage, cheek-pinking, knee-grasping cackling.

Amore forgot to exhale.

The Kuati Heiress' eyes widened as the world around her suddenly became very, very big and imposing. The sickening sensation of flat out embarrassment might've made her turn and leave were it not for the fact that they were utterly alone in the hall. Certainly she hoped they were. Nothing in her short years of meticulous, repetitive, mind-numbing training had readied her for this, and for every moment that he continued to laugh she felt her face melt deeper into a grimace.

Amore floundered, trying desperately to recall a lesson from her mother. But no one dared laugh at the Kuati Sovereign, and no one had dared to laugh at the Princess.

"I…" her jaw fell open, but her interruption wasn't about to stop his mirth. "…ah-" because a Princess wasn't allowed the word 'uh,' "…you…" and she lifted a hand for good measure. In the end the absurdity had left her utterly deflated. Amore dropped the hand and her gaze, allowing it to search every dark corner and crevice of the chamber for something, anything that might direct her. A doorway for idiots, perhaps. But in real life there wasn't handlers to silently gesture and mouth words of how to respond. There wasn't a beat to skip in order to think or plan. There was only the present.

The terrible, horrible, no good present.

I think I'm going to puke.

And then he hugged her and suddenly she remembered to breath.

"Oh," she sputtered into his shoulder, eyes red from straining against the sting of brewing emotions, "you're awful-" the words seemed to expell with her breath, "-ly jubilant. Thank you ... I think."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael held her for a few more seconds. She didn't stab him or immediately recoil from his touch so that was likely a good thing. He smiled at her, and then finally let her go, the grin on his face not yet going away. For a few moments he said nothing to her, simply studying her further. The joy he had earlier felt was still with him, the amusement was plain in his body language and even more so when he finally spoke to her.

“I'm terribly sorry if I've offended you.” Soliael's words were genuine and he let a hand remain on Amorellas arm, a comforting gesture that hopefully she would appreciate. “Its not every day that you learn you have a Great Aunt two hundred years your junior.”

That was exaggerating it a bit of course, but it was the truth. Of course Soliael was well aware that their species was long lived...though himself less so, but the situation was still quite ridiculous. Soliael studied the girl for a few more seconds, and then the thought actually came to him. What was she doing here? He doubted that she came here to join the Religion, if she was Silencia's daughter she would know better than that. More likely she was sent here to meet Soliael himself, perhaps train under him...or keep an eye on him.

As far as he knew Silencia was still very interested in his progress, how and what he was doing. She likely saw this as a two birds with one stone scenario. He frowned, though only for a split second. Then he finally let go her Amorella's arm, regarding her with another warm smile. “Well Aunt Amorella.”

The words were said with plenty of amusement behind them. “I'm Soliael, its nice to meet you.”
 
"No," she stammered a pitiful laugh of her own, brushing her hair from her face as she looked up to him, "no I suppose not." Now that she really thought about it Amore also had to chuckle - but not nearly so indulgent as he. Her's was a momentary lapse of propriety, like a skip on a record, before she fell back into Princess mode.

Smiling kindly, the young woman regarded Solaiel warmly but did not return the touch. Instead it was on to business - he might even recognize the expression on her face as being a mirror image of her mother's when it came time for brass tacks.

"And you, as well. Is there somewhere we can speak privately?" the question might've seemed odd given their lack of company, and she did indeed cast a glance around to note this, "Well, some place our voices won't echo."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael looked at her inquisitively for a few seconds and then looked about the massive chamber with curiosity. This was a rather big room, he believed that it was used for mass prayers on normal days. Though he could have been wrong about that fact. He frowned slightly thinking about where they could go. Soliael did not have any personal chambers here on Exocron or in the temple, nor did he have any other rooms of his own. He lived on a ship, always on the move from place to place. It was part of his “godhood”, he was never in one place for too long. Finally an idea came to him.

“Yes, there is.” Soliael motioned for her to follow him. He moved quickly through the temple and as soon as they passed through a massive pair of double doors he nodded to one of the servants. The servant closed the doors behind Amorella and Soliael. The Sith Lord led his aunt through the halls of the temple, the massive structure was beautiful even on the inside, the walls were intricately carved and the floors seemed to all be made of marble.

Finally after quite some time of walking Soliael and Amorella entered a chamber at the very center of the massive temple. Within the heart of the chamber sat a massive flame, though what its purpose was was not exactly clear.

The room however was small, almost tiny in comparison to the grand hall they had been in earlier. Soliael gazed into the flame for only a brief second, and then regarded Amorella. “Now, why is it youre here?”
 
Amore had little time to marvel at the grandeur of the Temple, she was far too busy going over the next conversation in her head. For certain she would not foul it up so readily as she had their introductions - Amore wasn't sure she could handle being laughed at again.

It was not necessarily the brightness of the flame that brought her attention in, but the heat of it against what little bared skin she had. Blinking away a web of distracting thoughts, the Kuati Princess looked up with a sigh, "There are many reasons." She folded her hands at her front, the long sleeves of her robes falling over her knuckles, and took a pensive stance for a few moments then pulled her hands apart again to reveal a roll of parchment.

Glancing to it, her curiosity was evident in her gaze as she passed it to Solaiel. The wax seal baring the Shamalain family crest remain unbroken, so perhaps there was something even she was not fully aware of.


Solaiel,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you my youngest daughter, Amorella Mae. I lament not being able to do this in person, but such are the circumstances of the choices you have recently made. Your decision to leave the Empire I must applaud. As you have no doubt learned all on your own, the pillars upon which the greats of this galaxy stand are unsound, unstable. If you ever hope to gain all that you seek you cannot do it on the heel of those who have crafted these pillars, you must forge your own. You know this now and I am ever eager to see what it is that you build for yourself. These experiences will shape the rest of your life, and it is these experiences that I wish Amorella to share in. She is my heir to Kuat and she is well on her way to becoming a strong leader. However there are things she must learn that cannot be taught in the safety of her home.

She will learn these things with you and your own. Make no mistake, she has skills that will be very useful for you in these approaching days as you build your own foundation. Utilize them, help them grow. In return I will share with you the resources and wisdom you seek to harness the power you will need to maintain your crusade.

Until we meet again,
Oma
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael broke the wax seal on the letter without even really considering anything else. He unfolded the thick paper and began to read his grandmothers writing. He frowned slightly at the words, though not because he was displeased, rather he was confused. His Oma had sent her heir here, though that wasn't what confused him. He did not care about Kuat or anything they did there, the company did not interest him seeming as how it lay right in the middle of a place he could never go. What confused him rather was why Amorella had been sent here, to Wild Space where things were unbound, untrained and down right deadly.

For a brief second he looked up at the girl standing before him, a frown on his face. Of course she would not be entirely defenseless, he doubted that she would have gone this long without any training from Oma...in fact he was certain that was not the case. Yet Wild Space was still dangerous, especially among his crusade.

His own thoughts on the matter however were shattered as he read the last bit of his Oma's letter. Of course she wouldn't burned him, perhaps he should not be so quick to judge. Soliael made a slight mental note and then returned his gaze to Amorella. The last bit of the letter intrigued him the most, the tug of a smile forming on his lips as he thought of the things he had yet to learn.

He noticed her curiosity and the slight anxiety about her, and then slowly offered her the letter before speaking. “So, you are to stay with me."

Soliael did not sound upset by this news, nor did he seem particularly thrilled however.
 
"That's right," Amore nodded, a simple smile on her face. Silencia had explained the plan to her, so when she took the offered parchment and skimmed the letter she found nothing of surprise. If anything, Amore was curious what sort of wisdom her mother would bestow upon the man, but the 'resources' was part of her game piece.

"There's more to say, but I'll need some time to prepare."

and breath some fresh air... she thought to herself. She'd not noticed how stuffy a ship's air supply could be until she'd been stuck in one for nearly three days.

"I do not wish to be a burden to you," her smile faded slightly, weight shifting from one foot to the other, "one the contrary I wish to help you. I know I can ... in some way. If you could enlighten me to what all of this-" Amore gesture around her, narrowly missing putting her fingers in the flames next to her. She quickly withdrew that hand, "ah- all of this is about?"
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael stared at his aunt for a few seconds considering some things. He knew that if his aunt were to stay here she would require a place to live, likely a nice place. She would also have to take some precautions if she were to stay on Exocron. His followers were friendly, though a bit overzealous. Exocron was now entirely in the hands of Moross, not being a follower was quite dangerous and if you were found to be a heathen...well the results were usually not very pretty. That had all been part of the plan of course, it was needed in this religion. Soliael had never expected...this to happen.

Finally he smiled again and began to nod to his aunt. He turned about suddenly and walked over to a nearby table, upon it was a stack of books. He grabbed one of the books from the top and began tos peak.

“A great man once said that Religion was the opiate of the masses. When I was held within the Pit I found that to be very true.” He had no idea if his Aunt knew about his stint within the Pit, that oh so hellish prison in Wild Space. “People clamor for hope, for gods, for something to believe in. I and my associates simply full filled that need.”

Soliael wandered back over to her and held out the book. On the front of the cover was the symbol of Moross, and beneath it the label simply read “The Divines.” He smiled at her as he showed her, and then spoke again. “We seeded the religions of Moross on Several worlds. Exocron is its Mecca, the place where it all began. It is a cumulative subject of several different religion, all forged together into one. There are Ten Divines within the Pantheon, three of them walk the mortal plane at one time taking the form of powerful force users.”

“These three would be us. Erebos, Ithari, and I. We are the leaders of the people of Moross, and we commune with the other seven Divines to reach our decisions and guide our people. ” He explained as simply as he could, though she would learn far more by reading the text later. “Religion has made them willing servants. Where as the Empire uses force of arms, and the Republic uses freedom and Democracy. We simply use belief. Our people have faith in us, and so they follow us.”

To Soliael it was that simple, and so far it had proven true. Finally he continued on.

“While youre on this world you'll need to at least pretend to worship one of the Ten. It doesn't matter who, it need not be any of the three “living” gods.” He put strain on the word “But it needs to be one of the Ten. Moross has been seeded so deeply on Exocron that they do not take...kindly to unbelievers.”
 
Delicate hands took in the holy tome and gently caressed the cover. Amorella Mae Shamalain looked upon it with some wonder. He'd created all this? It looked practically historic!

"You made this?" she said, her voice hushed with awe as he went on to explain. Just how long had he been at work here to have already swept in the entire community of Exocron as well as other planets? The idea was utterly

"Fascinating," the pages folded open in her hands, turning by simple whim of the Force to allow her a taste of just what machinations were at work here. She came upon the chapter of a woman God and traced a fingertip across the ink illustration. The woman bore a curious resemblance to her mother, but then again her mother was the only divine figure she'd ever heeded. Kuat was not a home of God but of economics. They had not faith but currency and no prayers but careers. Divine intervention was that of the military and miracles were nothing but science.

"I've never had a God before..." blue eyes turned upwards to her Nephew, intrigue playing sparks within them, "may I borrow this?"
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
“Keep it.” Soliael said with a smile, he could tell that she was at least curious about it. This was fantastic for him, he had expected her to outright reject any form of worship or pretend worship. It was what he imagined Silencia would have done. Perhaps her daughter was more...pliable, though he doubted that as well. He frowned slightly as she traced the drawing of one of the gods, even upside down he recognized the image, it was Inari the healer.

“Moross is not old. At least not in reality. To The people of Exocron these are the Divines their ancestors worshiped. Our arrival simply rekindled that faith.” He paused for a few seconds as he watched her stare at the drawing. “That is Inari, The Healer.”

He paused for a few seconds letting her perhaps read the page or take in the drawing a little more. Inari had been his added touch to Moross, and so had his own representation, Neth. The two of them in the lore of Moross were brother and sister. Both of the siblings were considered “good”. Soliael had insisted that the Divine must stand for more than blood and battle, so Neth and Inari had been added.

"She is known for her love of all things living, and the guidance she gives to those lost." It was all rather poetic of course, and that made Soliael smile.
 
"I like her already," she smiled and closed the book, "thank you."

Her expression was warm, hinting at a masterfully controlled excitement. This was by far the biggest event she'd ever come across or been included into, and it wasn't a garden party. What adventures lay in store made her want to exclaim her delight, but a Princess mustn't exclaim. A Princess must be demure.

Watching him, Amore grew suddenly still and silent. Her eyes narrowed, flickering across his face. In the glow of the firelight he looked strangely familiar.

"Curious," she mused aloud, "you look like that man from my coming of age gala."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael raised an eyebrow all of a sudden as she mentioned that he looked familiar. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, he was at no sort of party of hers. In fact he had not been to any party in almost seventy years. All of a sudden he remembered his resemblance to another man that very well might have been at a party hosted by the Lady Silencia. He frowned slightly, and then thought of why Moridin might have been interacting with his Oma.
They obviously must have known each other to some extent since they traveled together some time before Soliaels birth, though he had always figured they never kept in touch. Sith after all rarely had friends.

After a few moments of awkward silence with Soliaels mind running wild he finally managed to speak again. “You probably met my father, i've been told we share quite the resemblance.”

Soliael himself had never met his own father, though he knew his appearance was almost exactly that of Moridins except for his jet black hair. He frowned slightly still though, quite upset that his Aunt had met his father when he had never had the chance.

“My mother was always sparing about him though.” Soliael made the comment offhandedly, clearly the mere mention of his resemblance to Moridin sent him into a sort of tailspin of thought.
 
"I didn't meet him. He was just there, speaking with my mother. Matter of fact I don't even think he was invited..."

She trailed off. Amore was not so gifted with Empathy as her mother or her Niece, Quietus, but she sensed the unsteady withdraw in his words. Frowning, she reached out to touch at his arm, "but you look more like Desdemona. I can see her grin in your smile. It's nice. She was always my favorite relative."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael smiled at his aunt from that comment. He had never ever been told that he looked like his mother, perhaps because it was untrue, or perhaps because most people had absolutely no idea who his mother was anymore. She had not been active within the last couple of centuries and so no one really knew who she was anymore. He shrugged slightly though, it was still nice to hear. Even more surprising was to know that Quietus was anyone's “favorite” relative, his mother had never been much of a family person. He smiled slightly as nostalgia hit him, then finally he spoke again.

“Lets get out of this room. We'll need to find you a place to stay, I doubt you'll want to live with me.” Soliael smiled and then moved his right hand. The massive double doors of his chamber opened up. Slowly Soliael walked through them and led his aunt out back into the temple. This time they would move much slower, theere was no need to hurry.

He found himself lost within thoughts of family, and he realized that one was walking right beside her. Quite randomly he smiled at her, and then he spoke, his voice filled with curiosity. “So, tell me about yourself. Up until an hour ago I was not even aware of your existence.”
 
A wane smile met him as he lead her through the doors. She wasn't sure how to reply. The thought of living arrangements hadn't occured to her yet, though she'd known all along that eventually she would need to nest on her own. The idea was intimidating. Shamalain Manor was never lack for visitors - be they friends, family, business partners, political agents, or more. She couldn't imagine a day without a familiar face.

I wouldn't mind... the words did not escape her lips as she glanced to her taller relative. Amore felt it a disservice to live away from him any longer. There was so much to learn about him, so many questions to ask and stories to share. She wanted to become his friend and confidante, and care for him as much as she cared for her brother, Dissero, whom she missed dearly.

Then Amore remembered that she'd promised not to be underfoot. She was not here to interfere, nor was she here to forge a long-lasting friendship with her estranged kin. She was here to listen, watch, and learn. This was not a family affair.

Swallowing a lump in her chest, the Kuati Princess took a deep breath.

"Well," something so simple was strangely difficult. How often did she ever have to explain herself to anyone? Amore's life had been a public profile from the day she'd been born. Complete strangers knew far more information about her than she thought was proper.

"I was Valedictorian of my graduating class," a grin split her lips, "I crashed my speeder on my first drive. I memorized the entire Release of Liability Claims book at KDY and I can spit appamelon seeds over fifteen feet," she placed particular emphasis on that last one, "I won a County Fair contest with that one. Got a ribbon and everything."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael stopped for a second almost busting out laughing again as she shared such a mundane fact with him. He found it rather hilarious, mostly because Quietus or Silencia would never have shared such a thing...well perhaps Quietus, though it would have been in far more of a jest than Amorella. She was genuinely proud of herself for that accomplishment and despite himself Soliael appreciated that fact. He smiled at her without saying anything, and then continued walking besides her. A sort of goofy smile was on his face as he began to speak again.

“I see. Oma must be proud.” He was speaking genuinely, there was no sarcasm or intent to hurt in his words. He seemed to genuinely begin liking his aunt. “What of the force?”

Soliael walked up to the elephant in the room and punched it in the trunk. He knew what his own Mothers association was with the force, he knew Dissero's, he knew Silencias, he knew everyones except for Amore's and he was very curious. He walked besides her waiting for an answer, curiosity radiating off of him like a heater.
 
"Oh yes. The Ribbon is on display over the fireplace mantle."

She didn't put it there ... Amore's eyebrows lifted over a light-hearted smile that was curiously mischievous. The woman returned her attention to Solaiel at his query and looked momentarily put upon.

"Oh, that." Apparently it never occured to her that being exceptional in the Force was something of a necessity. It had never been emphasized terribly in her upbringing, although it had been something she'd practiced in lessons since she could remember. Both her mother and her father had introduced to her many skills and aspects of using the Force, and while she recalled them saying she was highly gifted, Amore had previously little drive to persue the talent.

"Well, I have a solid grasp on Telepathy and Telekinesis. My father introduced me to the art of Force Healing very recently, so I've had little chance to practice. Mother tried to show me Sorcery, but I found it rather dull ... changing one thing to another or materializing some other thing. Seemed silly to me when I have two hands that are capable of using what was already provided me. Divination is something I pursued on my own for a time, and I've worked on Force Meditation and found it quite intriguing."
 

Cedric Dorn

Guest
C
Soliael listened to her speak about her talents in the force and what she had been taught so far. He listened carefully, and found that she was either quite dim, or she did not think of the force in terms of light and dark. Since Amorella was in fact Silencia's daughter he knew that it was likely the latter option. For some odd reason he rather liked that about his aunt. Soliael himself would never be...neutral. His father's lineage had provided him with a stunning amount of darkside power and an extreme inkling into Sith Magic and Alchemy. It was who he was, and likely would always be.

“I see.” Soliael said patiently as they kept on walking. Eventually the two of them reached the great hall, the massive room they had begun their conversation in. Soliael looked around, and found that the hall was still empty.

The so called god stopped walking and looked down at his Aunt. She was quite a bit shorter that him, unlike her mother who stood nearly toe to toe with even Soliael. He smiled down at her and spoke. “And what did Oma tell you of me?”

He assumed that Silencia had told Amorella something of him, at least a piece.
 

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