Private Faith

[Dagon Kaze]

Dawn Temple,
The Outer Rim

War was taxing. An unimaginable toil on both the body and mind. Especially to the latter. Its heavy cost often begged the question of if it is all worth it; all the sacrifice, the loss, the failures, the mistakes. They plagued the head and ravaged the spirit. His touch with the dark side over Ziost in a last-ditch effort to save Kaska - only ended with their trustful bond shattered; his call to bring Jedi rookies and healers to the frontlines on Generis - nearly had them all killed; his reckless attempt to stop his twin brother on Ossus from hurting the one he loved - only ended with him inadvertently killing her instead.

Dagon was walking on a razor-sharp edge.

In his own pursuit to find a cure, a solution, to his wavering connection with the Light, the padawan departed the war front with the Sith for a stop at an ancient and abandoned Jedi temple in the Outer Rim. Dawn Temple - a place where the Jedi of old had used as a retreat to restabilize their link to the empyrean. Trekking the mountain with a heavy cloak over his New Jedi leather jacket to keep him warm, Dag finally reached the snowy plateau of the temple. The sanctuary of stone rested on a small hill, nestled beneath it was a village where smoke lazily billowed from the few chimneys. He remained in one place for a moment, reveling in the tranquil view, then carried on towards the temple.

His own path curved around the hill, away from the village, and led him to a side entrance of the temple. He caught a glimpse of a ship docked close to the main entrance and a presence shuffling through the confines of the sanctuary; it made him frown but did not make him stop. Dagon carried on forward, driven by both his purpose and his want to escape the cold wind that was picking up.

The Jedi slid through a thin opening of an ancient metal door that had never fully shut and scanned the wide hall before him. Light penetrated through where there were once windows and through holes which time had drilled. It looked abandoned but it sure did not feel so. Alertness began to stiffen his hands, the all-too-natural instinct to reach for his blade twitched - an after-effect of being in war for too long.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Reviving the past​

---

Planet: Spintir
Location: Dawn Temple
Tag: Dagon Kaze
Valery: Appearance

It had been quite some time since Valery was recovered from stasis, and finally, she had found the perfect location for establishing a new Jedi Enclave. The Dawn Temple had once been a place Jedi visited to reconnect, and she was going to honor that part of its past. However, she wanted it to be more than that - she wanted to train new generations of Jedi using her more traditional experience. But she was a long way from that goal, as the Temple was left in ruins a long time ago. Slowly, she had cleared the path up towards the structure and begun working on its interior but a lot still needed to be done. But while these rebuilding efforts continued, Valery was unaware that part of its past was going to be revived today already.

As Dagon Kaze entered the Temple, Valery was deep within the ancient structure, sitting in a lotus position in the center of a large, completely ravaged room. It once held tall statues and a massive fountain in the center, but many of the supporting pillars had collapsed and the statues were damaged.

With the Force as her guide, she reached out to the debris around her, causing it to levitate and swirl around her. Much of the debris was moved aside, placed somewhere for later removal. But statues were set up straight again as well, and a large gaping hole in the wall was slowly being fixed as rocks came together.

But in this meditative trance, she was unaware of the Jedi Padawan who was slowly approaching her position in the Temple. With how far away she was from civilization, she wasn't quite expecting anybody to reach her. Let alone someone with a troubled mind.

The effort it took to repair even just a fraction of this large hall was immense, and drops of sweat began to run down her cheeks. But she was determined, and sunk deeper into the Force to move around some of the more massive objects. It was a test of willpower, and hers was unshakeable at the moment.

Soon, she would end her day with some relaxing meditation on the top of the mountain - it was a routine she had gotten used to, and would likely continue for quite some time. But eventually, she would be able to open this Enclave and she knew it was going to be highly rewarding.

Today was about to become the first of many, or so she hoped.

​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Time is merciless, ruthless. Cruel, even.

Tall statues of grandeur, now merely shadows of themselves. Pillars once standing tall, proud, now crumbling under the weight of ruin. Time chipped away at the foundation bedrock, invasive weed sprouting through the grouts and cracks. Yet, Dagon couldn't help but feel the abandoned temple's soul - stoic and sober - still lingering in the fissures of the walls, in the holes on the ground. It was a faint feeling, a firm reminder that the Light persevered despite time.

A massive sinkhole obstructed his path, the creation of a collapsed roof. It was half-full with snow and what remained of the stone tiles around it were slippery. Made Dagon's jump over it a hassle. He carried on his way. Where? Only Force knew. It softly pulled him closer and closer to the foreign presence within the temple until he reached its source.

With the Force as her guide, she reached out to the debris around her, causing it to levitate and swirl around her. Much of the debris was moved aside, placed somewhere for later removal. But statues were set up straight again as well, and a large gaping hole in the wall was slowly being fixed as rocks came together.

She was sitting there, manipulating the currents of the ethereal, when he first met her. Debris picking up, whirling around her before it was set aside unto a pile. Here, the statues were not skewed, instead, they stood erect. Just like Dagon had imagined they once did. He could feel her presence in the empyrean flaring, it oddly reminded him of the dawn finally breaking down upon the dark corners of the Coruscanti underbelly; another day, another chance.

The raven-haired Jedi remained in one place for a long moment, observing her tireless work in progress, before he finally called out at her.

"Hey. Don't mean to interrupt-- just didn't think the place was.. inhabited."

 

[Valery Noble]

Reviving the past​

---

Planet: Spintir
Location: Dawn Temple
Tag: Dagon Kaze
Valery: Appearance

With precision and great care, large boulders were finally coming to rest in place, statues were returned upright and debris was removed from the once beautiful halls. Slowly, her eyes opened and a long breath escaped the lips of the now rather tired Jedi. But as she was removed from her trance-like state with the Force, she finally noticed that she was no longer alone.

Her eyes shifted up towards the source of the voice, a younger-looking man with raven black hair. She could sense his presence in the Force and tilted her head lightly. Valery was not expecting Jedi here.. not yet, anyway.

"I was under the same impression." she called out in response.

Valery then got up to her feet and ran a hand through her long, dark-brown hair. Through the relatively dark halls of the Temple, her vibrant eyes almost seemed to be lighting up, as they stared at the fellow Jedi. However, it would be easy to tell through the Force that she had no hostile intentions.

With a few hops to get around some of the rocks she had displaced, Valery made her way over and offered a respectful bow of her head. "I'm Jedi Master Valery Noble." she said to introduce herself.

"What brings you here, if you don't mind me asking?"​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Dagon's eyes only slightly narrowed to scan the dark brown-haired woman. She wore a dark blue, almost grey, tunic lined with red and gold, and intricate patterns were faintly visible on the fabric. Her figure was athletic, trained consistently but it was her eyes that took his attention. Fairly different from a standard Human's - orange. And a scar over her left eye, yet it did little to hamper her generally appealing features.

She had seen battle, even her presence in the Force indicated such.

Jedi Master Valery Noble.

A Silver Jedi? Maybe? Dagon knew all of his fellows of the New Jedi, they were merely a rag-tag band of leather jacket wearing lightsaber jockeys compared to the massive order of their cousins the Silvers. Her bowing her head as a form of a greeting surprised him and he curtly responded the same way. This was an unfamiliar etiquette, at least with the New Jedi; things were far more casual back on Coruscant.

"Dagon-- Dag Kaze." he introduced himself, then dropped his hands from the straps of his backpack to his sides, "Jedi Padawan of the New Jedi Order." Dagon added tardily, honorifics or titles were also rarely offered. Casual. Maybe too casual. "Came here for--" he began, paused briefly, hesitating on the level of his openness. Reconnecting to the Light Side? It was almost embarrassing. "--exploring. Ancient temples, ancient knowledge. Lots of things to learn from the past."

Dagon looked around, the large hall was in the process of reconstruction, "You've fixed this on your own?" a warm smirk popped on his face, "It's kind of impressing."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

From up-close, Valery got a better look at the Padawan and offered him a soft smile. She was used to Jedi in more traditional clothing, but it wasn't odd to see Jedi adapt to their surroundings. So right now, she figured his clothing was due to his particular assignment or journey. But what piqued her interest more was his reasoning to be all the way out here and the fact that he seemed to be on his own. She hadn't sensed any other presence, and she had reached out at this point.

Valery then met his smirk with one of her own and looked around, "I've had some help but I'm doing most of the heavy lifting here." she said in response. "Slowly it's coming together again, after who knows how many years of it being abandoned." she let out a soft sigh and looked back at him.

Her orange eyes now narrowed just a little, as she looked him up and down. She wasn't one to learn too much of another, so while she sensed his presence in the Force, she wasn't digging deeper to learn more.

"You're quite far out all on your own to learn about History." she said as she looked past him. "But I suppose some Masters allow their Padawans a lot more freedom to travel than others." she said.

"Since you came all the way out here to learn, perhaps I can help you out a little. Is there anything specific you're wanting to know or are you simply wanting to explore?"

| Dagon Kaze |​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

He caught the slight narrowing of her eyes, a motion to discern him, look into the details; not unlike him. Details. Devil was in the details. Dagon had come to learn that over his decade-long and ongoing 'career' as an investigator on Coruscant. Who else would enroll a twelve-year-old into fighting crime in the bowels of Coruscant but Jedi?

Her mention of Masters and Padawans made him barely arch an eyebrow, followed by a flood of questions rising in his mind. Who exactly was Master Valery Noble?

Dagon's innate curiosity was piqued.

"A little bit of both, I guess. From what I know, this place used to be a retreat for Jedi to...recalibrate their connection with the Light. " he shrugged casually, looked around the walls of the hall again, then back to her orange eyes, "I'd also be willing to lend a hand with the reconstruction - it's a noble cause - but... you sure you don't wanna take a break?" he inquired, noticing the small drops of sweat drying on her cheeks. The smirk grew, "You look like you've had a long day."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery blinked at first but then met his smirk with one of her own, as she wiped the sweat off her cheeks. She let out a soft sigh and ran a hand through her long hair, "Some help with rebuilding would be appreciated, but a break does sound lovely." she said in response before she looked around.

"There is a lot that still needs to be done, but I have the materials and a lot can be salvaged from the debris. So with some time and help, I'm sure it's going to look like the old days." she smiled a little at the thought.

Her orange eyes then returned to him and she'd purse her lips. "Hmm.. would you like to come with me to Frostwall village? It's not far from here but we can get something to eat and drink, and I can answer questions you have along the way. Afterwards, I'll show you a very special place as well. If you like exploring, you'll love it."

"How does that sound?" she asked with a slight grin.

| Dagon Kaze |​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

"Sounds like a plan." he returned the warm smile.

**

And they were off towards Frostwall village. Her mention of food and drinks made him realize he hadn't had a bite for a while. The inaudible rumblings of his stomach confirmed so.

Dagon first broke the silence between the two, "I've gotta ask - you're not of the New Jedi, but I am also pretty sure you aren't with the Silvers, too." he deducted, his detective's flair kicking in. "See, I know there's plenty of Jedi unaffiliated and all. Some of them form their own enclaves and whatnot, but they're usually far away from Sith space." Dagon gestured back at the temple behind them, "Dawn Temple's right around the corner from the frontlines."

Then a gut feeling hit him, a random revelation based not on facts but on instinct. Or the Force. "Y-you...know there's a war, right?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

While they walked down the mountain path, Valery seemed to be in a rather good mood. She softly hummed a tune to herself, enjoyed the fresh air and the brief silence between them wasn't something that bothered her either. However, as he began to speak about the New Jedi and Silvers, she began to smirk a little.

"That's right, I'm not with any group of Jedi." she said as she looked around.

"I know this Temple is quite close to more dangerous territories as well, so I intend to keep it concealed and I'll protect it. This place is a piece of history I don't want to be lost forever - so I'm going to rebuild it. But should it get too dangerous, I will always hold the safety of my Jedi and students above anything else." she turned her eyes to him. "That includes this Temple."

She then looked off into the distance again and exhaled softly when he asked about the war. She had heard about it from other Jedi she met, but she wasn't as knowledgeable about the details of it or how it was currently going.

"There is always war in this Galaxy. It wasn't any different thousands of years ago, and I don't see it ending anytime soon. As long as there are people out there wanting to oppress others or worse, I believe the Jedi should stand to defend the Galaxy against them. It's part of what I hope to accomplish here."

"I want to train and prepare Jedi for what this Galaxy is truly like, and make sure they don't lose themselves along the way."

| Dagon Kaze |​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

Lose themselves along the way, huh?

The remark struck a chord in his heart but Dagon kept it away from his appearance or tried to. His stumble into the dark side to save his friend Kaska over Ziost still tormented him; a part of him justified the means, another regretted it. Yet, she was alive. Even if it had cost her trust in him and their bond. Another failure of the many failures accompanying his streak of leading missions or taking the initiative. Ironic. Like he had told his master - Dagon could solve any problem except his own.

"I'd like that." the padawan replied, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, "I assume you've been to Coruscant before, right? We, uh--" he mused over how to phrase his next words. The New Jedi lacked not only numbers but also Masters. With the scrutiny over their active approach against the Sith, many Jedi had seen to disassociate with the New Jedi. The lost generation, they had called them, the Ryvanchists, he'd heard others call them; all namesakes connected with the young padawans and freshly knighted Jedi who had rallied behind Ryv, the Sword of the Jedi, to pursue a war against the Sith. "--we'd be happy to have you teach and train us."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery briefly stopped and offered a quick smile - she had definitely been to Coruscant before. She even used to live there for a little while. But that was a long time ago and she expected it to have changed quite a lot. "Coruscant, you say?" she hummed for a moment, "While I'm going to be busy here for a while, I do think it would be good for me to travel there and at least meet the other Jedi you serve with." she said.

"It has been a long time since I visited too, so it will be interesting to see how much it has changed. And perhaps I can help a little with teaching and training." she flashed a smirk and continued heading down.

At this point, the two finally made their way into the small town. They attracted some attention from the villagers, who weren't used to visitors. Valery had been there a few times already but ever since her arrival, they were seeing more and more new faces appear. However, they seemed friendly enough.

Valery would then guide Dagon to a small restaurant of sorts, where she sat down outside at a table. "I hope you're not too picky about your food. Not that it tastes bad here, but they don't have a lot of options."

| Dagon Kaze |​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

When Valery wondered how much Coruscant had changed, Dagon had no idea she was refering to a thousand year old change. She, after all, looked just a few years his senior. You'd expect an era old being to look like a withered mummy.

Alas, Dagon only had his suspicions and he dared not ask in fear of sounding like a lunatic.

They sat on a table outside a wooden establishment, smoke billowing from its chimney and the aroma of herbed meat lingering in the air making his stomach rumble. Coruscant may have changed after two thousand years but there was one thing that remained a constant in the galaxy - homemade food on some obscure, half-wild planet. Reminded him of Ruusan, his own homeworld.

"Nah, you kidding me? These types of places usually have the best food." Dagon grinned, "Way, way better than any junk we've got on Coruscant. Well, except Hutta Burgers, now that--" his spiralling was cut short by the server who took their orders.

When that was done, he'd ask Valery, "Aaanyway. Uh, I don't think I asked but how did you wound up here exactly?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery chuckled at his response and looked around a little bit - this place reminded her of her own hometown. It was just as small and remote, quiet and extremely peaceful. She wasn't a huge fan of massive cities or crowded areas but she loved small towns like this. Hearing his question, however, she turned her attention back to him and blinked.

Where should she even start?

She pursed her lips forward in thought for a moment and decided to explain a little more in hopes of clearing up some questions. "Well, that's a question with no short answer, but I'll do my best to summarize" she said.

"I came to this place specifically after I learned about this Temple from some old records I discovered on Ossus. But I traveled there only after I was recovered from stasis - I was born over 4000 years ago. Obviously, I spent the vast majority of that time stuck in a stasis pod." She smirked a little but she felt it was best to clarify that she hadn't been walking around for that long.

"So after I woke up, I learned that not a lot remained of my old Enclave and the people I knew are long gone. I came here for a new start, but for other reasons than most who visit the Dawn Temple."

Valery then looked away as the waiter arrived with their drinks. She smiled and raised the cup to her lips to take a sip before she spoke again.

"You mentioned that your Order is located on Coruscant - I assume the Jedi Temple there is being used again? During my time, it was sacked so it would be good to hear if it's rebuilt and being used once again."

| Dagon Kaze |​

 

[Dagon Kaze]

He nearly spat the warm beverage at the confirmation of his earlier suspicions. "FOUR THOUSAND years?!" Dagon's eyes widened, then he blinked trying to process the fact. He wasn't going crazy? Statis meant little to him, did it really preserve people for so long? She looked just some years senior to him.

"I--uh, sorry, just. Y'know--" he snorted loudly, "I just didn't expect a four-thousand-year-old to look.. the way you do." it was half a shocked reaction to the revelation and half a compliment but Dagon almost slapped himself realizing the way it sounded.

He chose to drive the slight embarrassment away, hoping it'd slide under the radar, by shifting the topic towards what was more meaningful. "It is being used again, yeah by the New Jedi Order. A decade or so it was also sacked, too, so I guess there's some gloomy merit in the saying 'history repeats itself." Dagon replied, frowning over his latter words, then looking back up at her, "But the temple, well... it's far emptier than it's supposed to be." a painful tinge in his voice, painful and frustrated. Irritated, even.

"We..." he began, gesturing about, trying to figure out how to deliver, "... are kind of different, you could say, and very few in numbers. Especially compared to the Silver Jedi." there was a slight disdain in the way Dagon mentioned the New Jedi's cousins. A pause followed, unsure how much he wanted to divulge but something made him carry on, "Let's just say, we're mostly young padawans and freshly-minted knights who followed Ryv , the Sword of the Jedi, to actively fight the Sith...and that, for whatever reason, wasn't really well accepted by the majority of the older, more established and experienced Jedi." he glanced sideways for a moment, then back to her, "Look, all I'm saying is... this fight - we can't fight alone." the numerous scars across his body, hidden by his clothes, confirmed that. A number of scars that shouldn't be normal for someone his age to possess. "The situation is - we just need all hands on deck."

Dagon wondered if the Jedi of four thousand years ago were similarly split.

Valery Noble