For You, to Hell and Back

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Mandalore took everything from her.

Kaalia had nothing in her early years. No home, no family. The Jedi doctrines had made her weak. Through nearly losing the very last thing she had, her very life, did she find the Dark side.

That was when everything changed.

Lady of the Sith. Valkyrie Elder. Triumvir of Strength. Wife. Mother.

Ishana had changed everything. What had seemed to be a fleeting thing at first became Kaalia's anchor. She hadn't just gained power beyond her wildest imaginations, she had found a home. Ishana was her home. The daughters they had together, they were the family she had always wanted. She had sworn to always protect them from all dangers from the galaxy, that which she did in the name of the Sith was, in the end, for them. For Xariah, for Xarielle, for Azarin. For Ishana.

At Mandalore, Kaalia failed to keep that promise. The moment she felt the bond between them break haunted her in every waking moment. She had been preparing to make planetfall when it happened. She nearly vomited. The ugliest forms of rage and hatred consumed her. Any Mandolorian life that she had crossed met a gruesome, violent end.

'Habibi.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you.'

The words repeated in her head without end and everytime it did, it broke her just a little bit more.

There had to be another way for this to end. There had to be something she could do.

The artifact.

---

---

Mygeeto, undisclosed location

This was it. This was the only chance she would get to bring her back. In her last message to Ishana, Kaalia had told her she would drag her back into the realm of the living if she died on her. She wasn't being serious then. She was now.

She sat in meditation on the cold, stone floor of the longhouse's courtyard while snow slowly fluttered downwards around her. In front of her, was a small stone with text engraved on it, though as it collected a small layer of snow the only way to know what it said was from memory. The Force was being channeled into the artifact and those gifted with its powers could feel something brewing from within it. It would not be long, now.

Others had come here to assist. Some out of a genuine wish to help, others were promised a favor in return. Kaalia's mind wasn't concerned with that in that moment.

"It's almost open," said a near-lifeless voice. Kaalia had not been well, but that didn't matter to her. She wanted Ishana back. That's all that mattered.

I'm coming for you, miala.

[member="Ishana Pavanos"]​

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVLWyt66Yj4[/media]

It was all a blur.

She saw the projectile, she heard the call - and in that moment Ishana knew what would happen. She remembered shutting her eyes, saying her goodbyes and then nothing. It was an out of body experience, watching her interceptor crumple like a tin can. There was nothing, nothing but the cold, black - emptiness.

In life, Ishana hadn't much of a reason to live. She was a gifted pilot, a bundle of wasted energy most called her. A dancer, a smuggler - someone who just drifted along without much thought or care. Ishana wanted to die most of the time and then... And then something happened, she met someone. She met Kaalia, and what started as a fleeting happenstance turned into something more. They built a life together, they built a family - and in an instant it was ripped away from them both.

A costly decision.

One that Ishana knew came with the tag of being Imperial.

Now she floated, aimlessly along the river of souls that coursed through the Netherworld.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Tes Dralyn"] | [member="Vaylin"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The more of the Force Kaalia channeled into the artifact, the stronger the response she received became. A sinister power permeated from it, as though it warned those who felt it that it was stronger than all. Some had learned ways to run from it, but death was never truly defeated. It would be there, watching over your shoulder, for one single misstep could be enough to slip into its grasp. A grim reminder that placed itself firmly in the back of Kaalia's mind, though not even that could dissuade her. She did not know what would be waiting for her on the other side, but for Ishana she would brave any danger. Coming face to face with death itself was no exception. She had been inches away from meeting it before. Those moments had shaped her into the woman she was now- it gave her the strength needed to save the one she loved the most.

And so Kaalia continued. A foreboding red glow began to emanate from the artifact. She had to admit to herself that a sense of dread began to creep up on her then, as she did not know what awaited her. But stepping away was out of the question. Kaalia would traverse every last corner of the Netherworld if she had to.

A red beam of light shot upwards out of the artifact, then dissipated. A tear was ripped in the very fabric of reality, and in that tear appeared another world. A world inhabited by the dead. The Netherworld.

"It worked."

Kaalia uncrossed her legs and slowly rose to her feet, gazing intently at the portal that had opened in front of her. She took a deep breath. That's where she had decided.

She wouldn't return until Ishana was with her.

[member="Ishana Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Tes Dralyn"] | [member="Vaylin"]​

 

[Vylythis Zambrano]

Mandalore had changed many things for many people.

The threads of Fate had been rearranged in so many ways that day. Some had their threads rewoven, others broken, others still had simply had them obliterated. It bore contemplation, and though she had not partaken of the glorious conflict, Vylythis had felt much of it clawing at her senses as it sought to find purchase.

Death was intimately woven through the Zambrano family tree, in all of its splendor and dark glory. They seemed to have an almost unique relationship with it, her parents especially. Part of that extended to her as well, as the first child born to her mother after her resurrection. Death wasn’t so much a finality, but another doorway to pass through.

One that remained open to return, under the right circumstances.

It was that level of agony that had called to her, the vicious spike of profound loss that drew her out of her normally quiet reverie in the aftermath of such a battle. She had been among those dispatched to deal with the dying, ensuring that they met their ends on what remained of the field of battle. Something she had partaken of since being raised to status within the Valkyries.

Vylythis had paused, feeling the inadvertent summons of the Matriarch as she sought to do what should have been anathema to a thinking, sentient being. But they were Sith, and they were accustomed to doing the wrong thing and reveling in it. She answered the Mother’s call and waited silently as she began the ritual, lending whatever presence and energy might be needed to complete it without hesitation.

Her gaze narrowed as the portal snapped open, joining their plane to the Netherworld with a snap of energy that was more felt than heard. Vylythis could taste the peculiar afterburn of sulfur, remembering it entirely too well from the moment she’d torn open a portal in the throes of her own agony at her husband’s loss. She knew too well the fierce determination burning within the Matriarch, and it wouldn’t take much insight to know that she would not return without her wife.

Vylythis had failed in her own endeavor, and would not allow Kaalia to suffer in the same way she had if it was within her power to to do so.

She moved to stand just behind her and to the right, ready to follow. “You need to be the first one through. We are with you.” the woman added quietly, fingers resting lightly on the hilts sheathed on her hips.

 

[Vandra Zambrano]

Being a Valkyrie entitled many duties upon her that she was not used to, one of them being ferry the souls of the dead and showing the utmost respect to them. Her mental state was fragile as is given she emulates her mother [member="Ahani Zambrano"] as much as she can seeing her as a role model to aspire to, but she had other obligations then just seeing how much carnage can she cause and who can she brutally dispatch.

He train of thought was broken when she heard the summons of the Matriarch she didn't care too much what they where about to do, Death was only a annoyance, a obstacle to conquer to the eyes of the sith there has been many times her father and several others are prime examples of this feat no matter how many times they fall they always find some way to comeback. She made her way to the Matriarchs location and didn't say a word except sat down and gave her energy to her to assist in the ritual.

Her eyes opened up to the portal snapping open, She wont lie if this didn't send a shiver down her spine for a moment she has never set foot in such a place before. Her fear was shoved aside by anxiety and anticipation and moderate excitement she has not suffered loss of a loved one yet she felt obligated to assist , not to see how much favor she can curry later after the fact, not for some relic or artifact or weapon but just because she felt like doing something that wasn't motivated by some other thing for once...well...not entirely without motive.... She would get an experience of exploring a place like the netherworld for the first time even if it maybe for only a short time. She simply stood up and made sure her blades where on her belt and ready for use as she stood behind and to the left side by side with [member="Vylythis Zambrano"] a fellow Valkyrie who was there to join on this little adventure .


[member="Kaalia Pavanos"][member="Ishana Pavanos"]

 

[Vaylin]

It had been some time since Vaylin had risen through the ranks of the Sith Brotherhood, and ascended amongst the Valkyries. And anyone that knew the Zabrak well enough, would've assumed it became a bolster to her efforts on the frontlines.

But it hadn't.

At some point shortly after, Vaylin had made the conscious decision to step away from the constant warring. A surprising choice for the Zabrak, given her known enthusiasm and thirst for fighting. But it wasn't as though she'd allow herself to grow dull, Vaylin simply found other avenues to keep her senses and abilities sharp.

Training.

Specifically, training the newly arrived Noviciates to their headquarters. Vaylin had taken up a general Overseer role, watching as the dedicated Instructors taught the basics. But more often than not, she took a more active role. Building up quite a reputation as a stern teacher who did not go easy on anyone.

She was Darth Moirai, an Elder of the Valkyries. Anyone who didn't bring all their strength, would find their weaknesses drawn out and exploited towards a swift defeat.

But it also meant that when Kaalia return to Mygeeto; a silent storm in her wake, Vaylin wasn't far when the call for aid was given. The Zabrak had been amongst the first to answer, following the Matriarch to the ritual. She had remained in position, sitting on her knees and focusing her energies into the artifact.

The Netherworld.

It was something that Vaylin had surprisingly never dabbled with. Indirect as it had been, the Netherworld was the catalyst that turned the Zabrak into the person she had become. And now here she was, about to step into it.

Vaylin's eyes snapped open when the tear was torn open, revealing the way. The Zabrak let out a breath as she stood up, gaze affixed to it before she looked over at Kaalia. She gave the redhead a nod, ready to walk this hellscape at the woman's side. And not alone it seemed, as she gazed over at Vylythis and Vandra, a Shield Maiden and Noviciate respectively.

A sense of dread settled across Vaylin's shoulders, but so did the anticipation. Evident by the Zabrak's fingers tapping against her armoured side.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Ishana Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Vandra Zambrano"]​

 

[Charlyra Araano]

Last to arrive, had been Charlyra.

Noviciate, turned Battle Sister who was ready to stand side by side with her master [member="Kaalia Pavanos"]. Although it was Charlyra's own belief that there was no death and that there was only the Force. Through all things the Force existed, it lived and breathed all around them. But, even she could not deny its ugly truth - an ugly truth to a beautiful lie that was life. There was nothing on Mandalore that day that would have stopped her master. The death of her wife had been felt, and the woman's death rippled across the battle that day. What surprised Charlyra most perhaps was the appearence of another Elder. She gave the Zabrak a nod of acknowledgment. Charlyra remained behind the Shield Maiden and Noviciate, wordlessly she had approached them. Her breather's noise seemed to echo, chest plate and cloak felt tighter now than they had before. Nerves. As she should be, the Netherworld was not something toy with and yet - it would be how the Valkyries would harness their own unique powers.

"I am ready, Master."

[member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Vandra Zambrano"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia simply stood there for a moment, gazing into the portal that had opened up before her. It filled her with an uneasy sensation, as though it gazed back at her and she had to gather her strength to take a step towards it. There was too much on the line to back away. She reminded herself of the countless moments where her life was balanced upon a razor's edge. She had not just survived them, she thrived because of them. Whatever waited on the other side, if it looked to keep Ishana there, Kaalia would face it. No matter what. The steps forward after the first were much easier to take.

"Let's go."

A stubborn sense of pride had attempted to keep Kaalia from accepting help on this day. It was not enough, though. The woman's grief was much stronger, she knew this wasn't something to be done on her own. She turned towards those who had joined her.

"Know that you will be rewarded."

Kaalia took another step forward. The next was her first into the Netherworld. Another one and she stood on the other side. Her eyes went wide, a feeling that had been ripped away from her on Mandalore filled her once more. The bond with Ishana. Her heart skipped a beat. Though she was too cautious to be joyful, it was difficult to repress it fully.

"I can feel her. She is here, somewhere." Kaalia looked all around her, hoping to find some sense of direction in this unknown world. She closed her eyes and focussed on the sensation that had returned to her. She mumbled under her breath. "Where are you, miala?"

[member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Vandra Zambrano"] | [member="Ishana Pavanos"]​

 

[Vylythis Zambrano]

She stepped through without hesitation.

While the hellscape itself was a static, unchanging mass, the sensations and experience would be wholly unique to each of the Valkyries that fateful day. For Vylythis, it allowed her a single, deep breath before she was inundated with the hellish waterfall of souls she had sent to the realm in one form or another. She breathed it in deep and exhaled it in a measured, steady way, allowing it to pass over and through her as the realm's version of a welcome.

Fingers tensed into claws as her fangs extended of their own accord and she hissed quietly as she took a few steps away from the others, tipping her head back as if she were a beast hunting a scent. In many ways she was, but it was a particular scent she sought, and the barest hint of it made itself known before slipping away completely.

Failure.

Again.

The sweetest evocations of pain coursed through her veins like so much fire raking across flesh. She breathed deeply again and returned her attention to the Matriarch, nodding in turn to each of the others as they stepped through the portal and into the Netherworld. A moment more saw her return to her previous position just behind Kaalia, and she offered a deep measure of her pain for whatever it would be worth in her search for Ishana.

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin paused for a moment as she looked up at the portal that had been created. One after another, her fellow Valkyries stepped through before the Zabrak followed suit.

A single step through, and Vaylin felt like she had been thrown out of a ship.

The moment she had passed through the threshold, she felt her body, mind and soul get violently tugged forwards. Ground beneath her feet, the very air she breathed in was suddenly gone. Senses grew steadily dull until there was nothing but silence. Vaylin felt like she had passed through a void of nothingness that existed between life and death.

What felt like minutes were actually seconds. The Zabrak continued walking until she felt solid ground again, and then it all returned in a single snap.

Vaylin collapsed to one knee as a wave of nausea struck. She inhaled heavily trying to recoup the breath that had been stolen from her lungs. It felt overwhelming, like an invisible weight had fallen on her shoulders, and shackling around her legs.

"I'm fine." She grumbled out the words, to someone or no one. Vaylin gradually managed to stand up again, forcing herself through the smothering pressure until she was standing once again. If this was what the Netherworld felt like just stepping into it, the Zabrak had no idea what awaited her.

As Kaalia occupied herself in trying to find her wife, Vaylin got familiar with their surroundings.

Why did she feel so cold?

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Ishana Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"] | [member="Vandra Zambrano"]​

 

[Ishana Pavanos]

For Balmorrans the after life read like a fable of an era time had simply forgotten about.

Ishana floated aimlessly through the River of Souls, guarded by a three-headed beast with Charon and Hades having a conversation nearby. The Ferryman and the God of the Dead, caretaker of the underworld and of the souls that now rested. Ishana's time for judgment had not yet come, Hades would weigh her soul and determine if she went to Elysium Fields or to Tartarus. She was simply among the many Balmorrans that now rested in the river, floating without a care in the world. For her there was nothing, just a void of black there was no conciousness here - and as she floated, her mind began to lose its memories. A soul without a body had no reason to retain these memories. The recent ones would go first and the longer a soul rested, the more their memories faded. Captured by Mnemosyne the memories would be stored in an earthen jar and kept in a vault that would be guarded by living statues known as Kolossi.

As [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] called out for her wife, her call would be absorbed by the river itself, for no soul could hear the calls of the living.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Though Kaalia could feel Ishana's presence, it wasn't a comforting sensation. If the woman had to describe it, it was much like her wife's soul was slowly dissipating into nothingness. She realized fully now that every second mattered, sending a wave of panic through her body. A tinge of doubt picked away at the back of her mind- what if she wasn't able to bring Ishana back? What if she was too late already?

Her demeanor shifted. The very look in her eyes changed. She enveloped herself in the Dark side, feeding off its power. Kaalia had retreated and in her place was now Darth Avacyn. There was no time for doubt now and Kaalia wasn't strong enough to face the Netherworld. Those who had come with the redhead would now see a much more familiar woman somehow. "The river of souls. I can sense her, that way." And so their search began. Avacyn did not dally and walked unnaturally quickly, keeping her focus solely on Ishana's waning presence. Kaalia had begun to crumble, but Avacyn carried resolve.

Kaalia had made a promise to herself. A silent promise to her family. That promise could not be broken. Not when she had gotten this far. If a deal had to be struck, then it would be done. If it meant slaying a god, it w0uld be done. Undaunted, Avacyn marched forward.

And then the woman decided she would simply call out to the keepers of the Netherworld directly. Perhaps she was a mere mortal, but Ishana meant too much to her. She felt her slowly fading, there was no time to lose. She spoke, her voice amplified by the Force.

"I have come to bargain."

[member="Ishana Pavanos"] | [member="Vaylin"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"]​

 

[Charlyra Araano]

Charlyra could feel her own life slip away as they entered the Netherworld. Steeling her resolve, she followed her master through the realm and watched as it began to transform, "intriguing." She found herself rather interested in how this could be. "This is not what I would have thought the Netherworld to be..." Unless the manifestation of the Netherworld depended on the soul? Throughout the galaxy death and the afterlife took on a variety of meaning. Each culture viewed it differently and that is not to say anything of the gods or goddesses who watched over the souls of the dead. "I am curious if the Netherworld fits differently for a soul depending on what they're accustomed."

River of Souls, was not something any Jedi nor Chandralian would have been taught. As they followed the Matriarch along the path, Charlyra found that they were far beneath whatever the Netherworld called a surface. A damp cave where the wails of the dead echoed like an unholy chorus, soon they came past a three headed beast and eventually upon two figures. One of which bowed to the other and headed for a small boat. The other looked at the group of women there as if they had intruded on a rather private meeting, and for all intents and purposes they had.

His upper lip curled into a sneer, "how dare you."

"How dare you, you insolent wench."

"You cannot bargin with death, be gone!"

He disappeared and the three headed beast could be heard as it roared and rushed down the pathway. The beast stood well above the women there, and in fact towered over the lot of them. Each head bore glowing red eyes and teeth sharp enough to rip through beskar. A foul odor emitted from the beast and as it growled, foam appeared from its mouth and as it dropped Charlyra watched as it burned through the rock beneath them all. Acid.

Charlyra turned to face the beast and readied her lightsaber, "VALKYRIES!"

[member="Vaylin"] | [member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"]

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak was not comfortable. Over the years she had been to many places, stuck and isolated on them even. For the longest time the jungles of Dxun had stood as the most prominent, until today. The Netherworld, even having just been within it for minutes, felt worse. Even though the area they were in was spacious, Vaylin felt as though she was being increasingly pushed into a more confined space.

A smothering presence trying to push her down, sense being drawn inwards all adding to the feeling of claustrophobia.

It didn't help that Vaylin felt as though she was treading through waist high water. She was still keeping up with the group, but there was a very apparent presence that was trying to hinder her walking. She was tempted to lash out, let anger flow and force the presence to relent. But Vaylin didn't, instead keeping focus on moving forwards. It was a likely case that whatever this thing was, it wanted the Zabrak to unleash her emotions.

What helped though, was when Kaalia's very demeanour seemed to shift into a much more familiar one to the Zabrak. Darth Avacyn.

Vaylin grinned, feeling a wave of determination washed over the Valkyries. Their Matriarch as Vaylin knew her, was leading the charge.

They continued on a bit further, passing bit a rather sizable beast. Vaylin kept her eyes on it, even after passing by it. Something like that was usually kept as a guard, and yet they were able to pass? It didn't sit well in Vaylin's mind, setting the Zabrak on the defensive as they approached the area's supposed caretaker.

"Well then, you shouldn't have left the door wide open, or unguarded." The retort left Vaylin's lips as the being disappeared, leaving the Valkyries to fend off against the previous docile three-headed guard dog.

With her right hand, Vaylin grabbed one of her lightsabers. WIth the other, she called upon one of her trinkets, drawing on its power to summon fire into her left.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"] | [member="Ishana Pavanos"] | [member="Vylythis Zambrano"]​