Igni Irae
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Sub a nexus that differs from my usual ones.
Image Credit: Here. Here.
Canon: N/A
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Dominion of Light, Disciples of the Vader, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Tephrike, White Current, Republican Guard, 400-Year Darkness.
SETTING INFORMATION
Nexus Name: Field of the Shadowed Fates
Nexus Alignment: Neutral
Location: Tephrike.
Affiliation: Tephrike.
Size: Small
Strength: Strong
Accessibility: The Field of Shadowed Fates does not have armies guarding it, but is not easy to reach. For one, Tephrike is not a well-known planet. The nexus effects makes it extremely difficult to scan the oasis. In addition to being shrouded, it lies in the middle of a desert in a remote area of the planet. The deserts of Tephrike can be just as harsh and unforgiving as the Dune Sea of Tatooine. Extreme heat and lack of water make the desert difficult to traverse. Dehydration is a serious risk. On the way, travellers may encounter dangerous creatures such as sand demons and sandworms. Moreover, deceptive mirages will test visitors or try to keep the unworthy away from the nexus.
The nexus is guarded by the Wayfarers of the Free Clans, or Wayfarers for short. These are clans of desert nomads who consider the oasis to be sacred ground. Compared to many of the factions on Tephrike, the nomads are quite civilised, though they will not hesitate cut down or potentially enslave an intruder. Sometimes a caravan of nomads will agree to escort a stranger to the oasis, but this comes at a cost and is considered a great honour.
Description: The Field of the Shadowed Fates is an oasis, a fertile area in a sea of sand. Thus it is a space that is fit for plants and habitation, unlike the dry desert that surrounds it. An underground aquifer irrigates the surface. The oasis has palm trees, including date palms, and caves. However, the nexus was not always such a peaceful place. Indeed, it can be considered an oasis in more ways than one, as it offers sanctuary from the bloody conflicts that have engulfed Tephrike. Of course, the bloodletting has left its mark upon the oasis. Indeed, the nexus would not have come into being without it.
If one wanders far enough, one can find signs of an ancient battle that took place during the Dark Age, which never really ended on Tephrike. Then one sees skeletons, wreckage of vehicles, craters, other refuse of battle. The nomads lack the means to repair the vehicles, so the wrecks have been cannibalised for parts worth salvaging and left to rust. Some occasionally serve as living areas or watch posts. The nexus is small in size, but powerful.
The Wayfarers have laid claim to the nexus and consider it sacred ground. Though nominally united by a tribal confederation, in practice the clans are fiercely autonomous and often engage in feuds. But they still have rules and honour codes all members must abide by, and need spaces where they can come together to congregate, forge pacts or conversely make peace if there has been a clash between different clans.
The oasis is one such space. For this reason it is forbidden to brandish a sword or spill the blood of another Wayfarer here. This does not, however, mean that one can commit acts of folly and get away with it. There are, after all, creative ways to kill someone without spilling a drop of blood. A rogue Jedi who had been banished by the Dominion and wanted to enlist the 'barbarians' to 'reclaim his birthright' learned this to his peril. Having molten gold poured over one's head is fatal, unsurprisingly. While the Clans can be quite diverse, most of the Wayfarers are non-humans. Trandoshans and Togruta are particularly prominent among them.
The Wayfarers have shamans who watch over the nexus, and use its power to meditate and conduct religious rituals, such as divination. The shamans use a variety of psychotropic drugs to enhance their visions. Indeed, some of the plants that grow at the nexus possess hallucinogenic properties. This may have been enhanced by the nexus, or simply always been the case. These ritual perform an important social function for the Wayfarers. It is not uncommon for an important chieftain to go on a pilgrimage to the nexus before undertaking a major endeavour. The shamans follow a religion based on balance. An outside observer might note similarities to Je'daii dogma, though these are incidental rather than intentional. For this reason, the Field of the Shadowed Fates is also a way to put young neophytes to the test, as the nexus will play tricks of the mind on Force-Sensitives. This can broadly be compared with how the dark grove on Dagobah works.
Both Jedi and Sith have caused great harm on Tephrike, erecting totalitarian states and unleashing horrible devastation on the planet. Indeed, many of the Wayfarers are descended from refugees who were forced to flee into the desert to escape the tyrannical regimes - or deliberately deported there. Thus the Wayfarers refuse to reveal the location of the holy ground to them. Indeed, they will actively try to murder or deceive those who try to reach it.
NEXUS EFFECTS
The nexus is overall limited in radius, but potent. However, it is not a place that fills those who enter it with great power, be it of the Light or Dark. It does not grant Force-Sensitives a power surge, though certain abilities are enhanced. It is a place of contemplation and sanctuary, for those it deems worthy. The oasis lies deep in the Dune Seas of Tephrike. One effect of the nexus is that it creates mirages to keep those who arrive with ill intent away.
These illusions are very potent and aim to mislead or deceive intruders, concealing the nexus' power from them and, for example, making them think the oasis has long succumbed to desertification. The mirages may also make them walk into another direction, believing that they can find shelter and water there...only to find themselves wandering through endless desert. Sometimes a sudden lightning or sand storm will prevent access to the nexus. Overall, the power of the nexus is difficult to sense. Those who can pierce the shroud may at first feel that it is weak and mundane, causing them to dismiss it. One quirk of the nexus is that Force-Sensitives will face a test where they encounter an apparition that has their appearance and memories, but the opposite alignment. This came about as a result of a confrontation between Jedi and Sith. The battle involved a lot of light and dark energy, so much so that when it was over it merged and became grey.
So, for example, a lightsided Force-User will encounter the mirror image of themselves as a dark side adept. The apparition will attempt to sway the visitor to their side. One can embrace their logic, fight them...or accept the other side in moderation. The last is, from the standpoint of the nexus, the correct response. This is a test for visitors. In general, the nexus will play tricks of the mind to test visitors, forcing them to examine their morals and commitment to their cause. Balance requires an individual to face their fears and confront the hypocrisy inside them and the nexus seeks to induce it. Those affected by the nexus may also experience vivid visions and hallucinations. Indeed, Force visions are enhanced for the duration of one's stay at the nexus.
Those who are accepted will feel a sense of calm and balance. Moreover, their Force presence is concealed while they are there. Indeed, the oasis is extremely difficult to scan, even if one deploys dedicated sensor ships. One could liken it to how White Current illusions can fool scanners and conceal locations. The oasis the nexus lies in never dries up, plants always regrow and there is always enough water. For this reason, the desert nomads regard the oasis as holy ground.
Sometimes one can hear the wails of the dead. Moreover, the spirits of dead Jedi and Sith can pose a threat. Force-Users who are extremely dedicated to the Light or Dark will find their powers and precognitive abilities diminished and danger senses numbed while within proximity of the nexus. Should they attempt to alter the nexus, they will be faced with powerful mental assaults and possibly hostile environmental effects.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The Heart of Shadow - A section of desert where the climax of the battle occurred. The sand is fused to glass and it looks like there are shapes or shadows continuing the battle for eternity. This is also the place where Force-Users will encounter an apparition of the opposite Force alignment, which will seek to sway them to their side and urge them to fully embrace the Light or Dark. One must overcome the doppelganger in one form or the other or be consumed and join the shades.
The Twilight Sanctuary - The oasis itself. Everything appears grey and misty, even when the sun is shining hot outside of it. It has a strong grey force aura. Light and Dark are balanced here. One experiences a feeling of balance and tranquility. The lake is clean. Swimming in it or drinking the water can be restorative, but sometimes one sees spectral shapes. The shamans have dwellings here. This is also where the Wayfarers congregate. It is considered sacred ground, and so it is not permitted to spill blood. There are ways around this rule when a guest makes themselves a nuisance. One type of plant that grows here has healing properties, but another is poisonous. Both look quite similar on first glance.
The Ghost Squadron - These are remains from the battle that was fought between the Jedi and Sith. To be precise, one finds a squadron of tanks from either side, their crews slain by Force energies leaving their vehicles perfectly in formation to rust away in the desert heat. If one gets close, one can hear the echo of battle and may experience vivid hallucinations. Quicksand may also be a problem.
Red Spire Rock - A large reddish rock jutting from the sands. No matter the time of the day, it feels very hot to touch. It was bombarded during the battle and bears the scars of several artillery rounds. It was the command centre of some of the Sith, who made their last stand here, and has a minor Dark Side aura from when they were wiped out during the battle. A feeling of intense rage and hatred lingers here. The shamans sometimes send acolytes here to test their fortitude against the dark temptations and put down restless, malevolent spirits.
Tree of the Shrouded Sun - A lone tree a bit outside of the oasis where the power of the Light is strong. The tree only appeared after the battle was already over. A lone Jedi Master sacrificed herself at this spot to allow some of her comrades escape the final struggle. However, this is not a peaceful area, but actively unpleasant. It burns those who are not sufficiently pure in the Light Side. Moreover, whereas emotions are fed by the Red Spire Rock, they are stiffled here, so visitors will find their ability to feel emotion suppressed while in this area.
The Grove - A shadowy cave that is a focal point of Force energy. It tests and manipulates the perception of those who enter. Psychedelic mushrooms grow in the cave. Like everything else in the oasis, these have been touched by the nexus. Consuming them can briefly enhance the Force Senses. The shamans use them in religious rituals to receive auguries. The visions they receive are never wrong...but prophecy is a fickle gift, as it must be interpreted. The shamans warn against becoming addicted to them and take action to cure those who do.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Tephrike was colonised a few centuries prior to the twilight of the Old Republic. It did not have sentient life native to it prior to colonisation. However, its deserts soon became a haven for outcasts and the like. Indeed, the Imperial regime that held sway over the planet during Emperor Palpatine's short-lived Galactic Empire had the habit of exiling criminals and political enemies.
Sometimes tribes of nomads raided the urban settlements, though modern technology often made this is a difficult proposition. When the Gulag Virus ravaged the galaxy, Tephrike spiralled into chaos. As disease, famine and strife spread, the Jedi assumed a protective stance. However, they eventually seized power for themselves. Ostensibly it was to protect civilisation and uphold law and order, but they were soon corrupted by their power. As the old adage goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, regardless of intent. Or perhaps it just reveals.
Regardless, the newly-formed Dominion of Light faced enemies on multiple fronts. Chief among them were the revolutionary Republican Guard and a Sith cult called the Disciples of the Vader. Few of Tephrike's people could remain neutral, as the conflict soon engulfed most of the planet. On this world, the Dark Age never truly ended. One such group were the semi-independent nomad tribes that inhabited the Dune Sea. Some were the descendants of nomads that had lived there for centuries, but many were exiles or refugees driven into these inhospitable lands. For instance, when the Vaderites took over a swamp land that ended up becoming the site of a Sith academy, they deported the native aliens and those humans who fell short of their asinine standards of racial purity.
Forcibly expelling them into the Dune Seas was a convenient way to get rid of them because it meant the desert would do the killing for them. The Dominion, while not racist, was almost as totalitarian as the Sith. Its rise to power had been marked by purges and religious violence. Not all Jedi had been on board with seizing power, especially once the nation turned into a theocray and creeds other than Mace Windu Thought were prohibited. The failed 'Grey Jedi Insurrection' sparked a series of purges. Some of the heretics were forced to flee into the desert. Most of them perished. A few managed to band together for mutual protection.
These Wayfarers, as the inhabitants of the Dune Seas became known, formed self-governing, nomadic communities. These groups feuded with one another, but also launched raids against the 'settler empires'. Until now, the area that would become the Field of the Shadowed Fates had been a fairly mundane location. It was simply an oasis among many. Until the Dominion initiated a 'anti-terrorist operation'. This was supposed to help its engineers build a fuel pipeline through the desert. the nomads had the advantage of knowing the lay of the land, but they could not meet a mechanised army in open combat. Thus they had to disperse and retreat deeper and deeper into the desert.
However, the Vaderites' border forces had taken notice of the Dominion's' activities. A local Vaderite commander had been conducting a 'bandit-suppression campaign'. As usual, this was an euphemism for exterminating entire communities and ethnic groups. War between both nations had never stopped, and so the local Jedi Lord suspected that the Vaderites were planning a sneak attack and dispatched a force of Jedi.
Both groups clashed at the oasis. Jedi and Sith gave each other no quarter, as 'Light' and Dark vied for supremacy. In the end, their struggle produced a lot of death. Moreover, the battle involved a lot of light and dark energy, so much so that when it was over it merged and became grey. This event spawned the Field of Shadowed Fates. The Wayfarers salvaged what they could - and killed off any survivors. The shamans proclaimed what had transpired to be divine judgement, for they noticed that the oasis had forever been transformed. The Field of Shadowed Fates became a holy place and a tightly guarded secret.
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