Private Forgotten Crusade

[Persephone Dashiell]

ESSION

Gullna Holl | Ession | Ben Khal ​

The only thing keeping the main portion of the old Golden Palace clean and tidy was the small army of cleaning and security droids. From her research, the old palace was also the old Eternal Empire embassy as well. As far as she could tell the planetary government used the building and it was also some type of green space on the ecumenopolis. Animals roamed the grounds, there were people sunbathing on the lawn. A true gem in the middle of an industrial area.

Persephone wasn't here for the weather and surroundings. With Zee silently in tow, the pair was making their way on the path to the catacombs below the palace. The library was also on the list, with portions of it open now to the public. After the annihilation of Tython, she was thankful for her early summer jaunt with Casaana - not feeling so guilty illegally copying works now.

Quickly, she hurried along the path.

​

CATACOMBS

Quietly, Persephone walked into the soaring antechamber and stopped. Pulling out her datapad, she began to take notes for her research. All part of the research she would be submitting to an academic journal. Most sources had no records of those who were entombed here, not that there were many. Just bodies of those the faithfuls could find once the movement collapsed.

Far away from the tourist-y area, it was quiet. Just the sound of Zee's servos and her typing.

[ I am shocked by the initial looks of these catacombs Miss Persephone. One would assumed the Sith would have taken revenge. ]

"I agree, however, they would have to drag themselves away from their brooding and harems to put in any real work. Score one for us."

 

[Ben Khal]

Elsewhere in the catacombs, Ben Khal stood gazing at an ancient mural. The colors were faded and grimy, but he could faintly make out the shapes of figures in the tilework.

"Deevee, start recording," he said into his comlink. His holocam started recording. "I believe I have found the motif referred to in the texts. I wasn't sure it was real, but now... Well, I'm looking right at it." With a gloved hand, he gently brushed away some of the grime, squinting at the mural. "It appears to depict a ceremony of some kind. Perhaps a... marriage? There are two central figures, probably male and female. They are overshadowed by a dark figure, bearing the same symbol as those on the tokens found on Ukatis and Epica..."

He paused, hearing voices. He thought he would be left alone down here, but it seemed there were others about. "End recording," he said softly. With his camera turned off, he slowly walked down the end of the corridor, cautiously peering around the corner.

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

CATACOMBS

[ Miss Persephone, I believe I heard noise consistent with a sentient. ]

As she was consulting her datapad, she didn't bother to look up. The teenager trusted Zee with her life as the security guard droid had proved himself multiple times.

"Just let me know if we get attacked. These are public catacombs."

Upkept by the Ession government as they were using the old palace for multiple uses. Persephone was thankful it looked the historical society or local university system seemed interested in upkeeping the area. According to the map she had on her datapad what she was looking for was down a tunnel to the right. Time to get moving.

Placing the datapad in her back pocket, she turned to move and spotted someone peering in on her. Eyebrow raised a little but it was a catacomb system. Scholars would be down here. Also weirdos. Hard to tell what camp this person fell into at this moment. Either way she knew Zee could deliver a throat punch should someone try something.

A small nod.

"Hey."

Ben Khal​

 

[Ben Khal]

When Ben finally reached the edge of the wall and was able to peer around the corner, he expected to find a security guard, tourist, or perhaps an animal prowling around the catacombs. Instead, his blue eyes flicked between the figure of a teenage girl and her droid companion.

She greeted him first. "Hello," Ben replied, with a polite nod of his head. Despite harboring incredible secrets related to his investigation, Ben reminded himself that the catacombs were a public space. Anyone could come and go as they pleased, provided they didn't cause a disturbance. "Sorry if I'm bothering you, miss. I'll be on my way within the next ten minutes." Then his brow furrowed as he studied the girl's features more closely. Something about the splatter of freckles across her face, like cinnamon sprinkled over cream, jogged his memory. "Wait. Have we met before?"

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persephone was going to do that walk-by 'Hey' and keep it moving. The other person was younger as well. School project or heading down deeper to smoke carsunum and get high. She didn't see the appeal of doing drugs next to a rotting corpse but each to their own. So long as it didn't interfere with what she had to do.

"Wait. Have we met before?"

Brows furrowed as she looked him up and down. Possibly but it was hard to say. As she got older it has been a whirlwind of galas, parties, and charity events that could blur together with the same faces. A small pause as she regarded his question - trying to decide if he was being genuine or if it was a terribly lame pick up line.

"Maybe....uh, you're not Senator Encido's son are you? Your father introduced us in hopes of finding a 'suitable match' for you?" Shoulders shrugged. "If not then no, I must just have a familiar face for you."

[ This is not Lucien Encido, Miss Persephone. ]

"Oh. Well, there is our answer."

Ben Khal​

 

[Ben Khal]

"Maybe....uh, you're not Senator Encido's son are you? Your father introduced us in hopes of finding a 'suitable match' for you?"

"Er, no." Ben shook his head, embarrassed eyes darting away from her as his cheeks flamed. "My name is Ben Khal. And my father wouldn't be the one to handle such matters."

She didn't seem to remember him, but he was starting to recall her a little better. "Were you at the royal wedding on Hapes?" he asked. "Yes, I think that was it. There was a crab woman wearing a very... risqué outfit, do you remember? We both saw her." That had been the most memorable part of that night for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Persephone Dashiell."

She stated by way of greeting, thinking back to the Hapan wedding. That had been a disaster in itself for the bride and groom but for herself? Zee had copied several texts she needed. The books had been left in place, her droid had merely copied and converted them for her in order to read as necessary.

"Ah yes, the woman of the night. Very gauche to bring such a date to a wedding, one would have thought the man would have at least sprung for a Companion. Would have been far more acceptable than....whatever it was we saw that evening. You're the guy I ran into before I drifted off to the library. An interesting event, to say the very least."

Persephone had dipped out after her library jaunt, as no one had missed her. Besides there had been far more interesting things to do on Hapes - like raid the closet of her room in the Gallinore house - than stick around watching crab prostitutes drink their way through the evening.

"Studying the Ashlan Crusade." Persephone didn't want to say she was going to look at the memorials for some of the fallen, just in case this Ben Khal had the wrong idea. "You?"

 

[Ben Khal]

Persephone. Now that was a fine name. Dashiell also sounded familiar, albeit in a public figure sort of way. He filed the information away for later, not wanting to pester her with personal questions.

Mentioning the crab lady seemed to jumpstart her memory. "Yes, that was it." He bit his lip. It was too bad he had to stay with his family during the reception. He would've liked to visit the library. Another time, perhaps.

"The Ashlan Crusade?" His raised eyebrows reflected his interest. He gestured down the corridor he had come from. "There is a mural here connected to a religious cult I've been researching. I've barely scratched the surface, but I believe the Ashlans foresaw the rise of the cult back during the Four Hundred Year Darkness. They wrote down the prophecy in an attempt to warn future generations."

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"An unnamed cult or you feel they may have had knowledge before their fall? Maybe there are recordings but I feel towards the end their historians may have saw it fruitless. History is so often decided by the victors that...well...your journey may take quite a few turns. You're studying for school? I can't see many doing this for pure pleasure."

Persephone could see an off shoot cult of the Ashlan Crusade emerging. Someone even more radical? Mind searched back to her research but nothing sprung forward that indicated a cult. Unless she hadn't looked hard enough. Or, even more sinister, the Ashlan scrubbed their own records. Much as unknown.

"Could I see it? I want to see why you think its linked to a different cult. I discovered one on Salazar's Rest, in the ruined tomb. Seemed more of the story about a journey to the afterlife rather than a prophecy."

Ben Khal​

 

[Ben Khal]

"An unnamed cult or you feel they may have had knowledge before their fall?"

Ben shrugged. "I've been calling it the 'Cult of Tophet'. Tophet is the most powerful and dangerous of the gods in the pantheon which they worship. His symbol is used as a shibboleth between members, letting them know when someone else is of the same faith."

"Maybe there are recordings but I feel towards the end their historians may have saw it fruitless. History is so often decided by the victors that...well...your journey may take quite a few turns."

"I haven't found any recordings or a digital trail of any kind. It may be that any data related to it was destroyed when the Sith ravaged Ession." Given what he had read about the topic, it was amazing that they had ever managed to recover. Then again, Alderaan had been obliterated nine centuries ago - and today it was a thriving world. Stranger things had happened.

"You're studying for school? I can't see many doing this for pure pleasure."

"It's not just research. It's a criminal investigation." There was hesitation in his tone, yet still he continued, "I'm a Jedi Padawan. My former master and I encountered a cultist on Ukatis. His name was Blaise, and he was a Dark Sider. We caught him preying on the peasants, trying to groom apprentices and convert more followers. We arrested him, but he refused to give us any more information about the cult. That was two years ago. Since then I've managed to trace their activities to Epica, Chaldea, and now here on Ession." That was the simplified version of the story, minus all the messy stuff in-between.

"Could I see it? I want to see why you think its linked to a different cult. I discovered one on Salazar's Rest, in the ruined tomb. Seemed more of the story about a journey to the afterlife rather than a prophecy."

Ben's blue eyes searched her face. He doubted she had any ulterior motives, and he could always keep a close eye on her. "All right. It's this way."

He led her down the hallway, stopping in the same spot where he had been earlier. The mural was located in a small alcove, partially obscured by vines. Using a small flashlight, he shone it on the mural, highlighting the various components of the tableau. "It seems to be depicting a ceremony of some kind. I thought it might be a marriage ritual, since the two central figures with interlocked hands look like a male and female. And the minotaur towering behind them - that is the symbol of Tophet."

The rest of the scene showed mass destruction, with burning buildings in the distance and fire raining down from the skies. All around the man, woman, and minotaur were fields littered with corpses. If this was meant to be a warning, then the prophecy must have foretold a truly dire future.

As he showed the mural to Persephone, Ben felt a strange tingling along the back of his neck. Such a sensation was usually the prelude to a psychometric vision. He breathed deep, trying to ignore the feeling for now. He didn't want to frighten the girl.

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Ah Jedi, always thinking they were the most righteous.

Persephone wanted to argue religious freedoms and that frankly, Jedi also preyed on the 'peasants' he so referenced. Yet she held her tongue, knowing seeing the mosaic was far more important. Trying to convince Ben Khal - who as a Jedi grew up in a cult himself - the hypocrisy of his words was not worth it. Amusing on her end though and just mentally chuckled to herself, giving a shake of her head as they moved deeper into the catacombs.

"It seems to be depicting a ceremony of some kind. I thought it might be a marriage ritual, since the two central figures with interlocked hands look like a male and female. And the minotaur towering behind them - that is the symbol of Tophet."

"Not necessarily, people marry others of the same gender every day."

Persephone regarded the mosaic. Without knowing any background than what he just gave her she had to just guess. Or assume. Or spit out the first few ideas that came to mind. Who had a creation or marriage ceremony where it was littered with corpses? She was silent for a long time, looking at her own take on the mural.

"No, these two are forming an alliance with Tophet after the planet was ravaged. I would say this is a sign of conquering one's enemies."

 

[Ben Khal]

Though she didn't show it outwardly, Ben could sense disapproval from Persephone. It colored their interactions after he revealed he was a Jedi.

"Not necessarily, people marry others of the same gender every day."

"It's more than that," he explained. "The way they are arranged in the mural, their clothing and decoration - it very strongly resembles an Ashlan marriage ceremony." With a few key differences. Essonians did not exchange rings, yet the figures' wedding bands were displayed prominently, and while the color white was used in their clothing, the style and silhouette was foreign. His gut was telling him that the scene wasn't supposed to be on Ession, but on some other world where the Ashlan faith had taken root in another culture.

"No, these two are forming an alliance with Tophet after the planet was ravaged. I would say this is a sign of conquering one's enemies."

"Perhaps it--" he broke off abruptly, wincing. The tingling at the back of his neck had spread to the base of his skull, where it began to spear into his head almost painfully. "Hold on. Just a..." He took a step back, then sank to his knees as the vision overtook his senses. "... a moment..."

The muralist stood before his creation, paintbrush in hand. He was an old man, stooped and squinting at the plaster. It was close to being finished.

Behind him, a man and a woman stood. "I didn't believe it when I heard that you were down here working on another mural," the man said. "Have you had another vision, master?"

"I have." The muralist turned to face them. He was bearded and wore dark blue robes; a priest of the Ashla. "Though I foresee that you will not like what I have seen, Garrus."

"I don't understand," the woman said bitterly, glaring at the mural. "We defeated Tophet and cast his soul into the Netherworld. Why has he appeared in your visions again?"

"Ava, I know how you long for closure. But you must understand that evil cannot be stopped by mere mortals. Only the Ashla can truly defeat the Darkness."

"Then we have failed!" she exclaimed, anguish in her voice. "The monster will rise again, and we can't stop him?"

"No." The muralist turned away, returning to his painting. "You have not failed. It is the way of things. We are part of a war with no end in sight. At least, none that my eyes can see." White lace took shape on the bride's gown as he filled in the fine details. "You will be long gone when Tophet rises again. But your children's children will live to see his return. I will leave this as a warning to them, of the price he will exact for his favor..."

The vision abruptly faded. Ben returned to the present with a sudden intake of breath. "Sorry," he rasped, slowly rising to his feet. Only a few seconds had passed since he went under, but for him it had felt much longer. He clutched his throbbing head. "If I come into contact with something that has a strong imprint in the Force, sometimes I have visions about it. I hope I didn't scare you."

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"A marriage then."

Persephone shrugged, not going to get in an argument over a mosaic that neither was quite sure about the depiction. That wasn't her specialty anyways, trying to figure out this god-creature that Ben Khal had discovered. Didn't interest her, although she was happy to see that others who were interested in history and the arts focusing on the Ashlan.

"Best of luck figuring it out though. Sounds like a lot of hours in the library but on the plus side lots of iced caf, so seems like that could also be a win to me."

As she was speaking on iced caf, the boy clutched his head and fell to the ground. Persephone raised an eyebrow and looked to Zee, whose optical sensors went from the figure on the ground to herself.

"Brain aneurism?"

[ Undoubtedly so, Miss Persephone. ] Zee gave a small pause, optical sensors dimming and brightening. A sign he was communicating with either the HoloNet or DarkNet. [ Medical facilities nearby. I can carry him out and contact authorities. ]

"Pick him up and we can call someone as we get closer to the surface....maybe even contact the government security on site."

Just as Zee was bending over, there was a large gasp. Persephone was thinking death gasp, but soon he was trying to rise to his feet and get his bearings about him.

"Sorry," he rasped, slowly rising to his feet. Only a few seconds had passed since he went under, but for him it had felt much longer. He clutched his throbbing head. "If I come into contact with something that has a strong imprint in the Force, sometimes I have visions about it. I hope I didn't scare you."

"Nope, figured you had an aneurism. Zee was going to carry you to the surface."

 

[Ben Khal]

In the few moments of disorientation after the vision ended, Ben focused on recovering his wits. He snorted faintly when Persephone said she thought he'd had an aneurysm, shaking his head. "There's no need for that, though I appreciate the concern."

What had he been talking about about before the vision hit? He'd lost his train of thought. "Er, you mentioned earlier that you had found another cult in a tomb at a place called Salazar's Rest. Is that here on Ession?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. He'd never heard of Salazar's Rest, though it sounded interesting.

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Looking dead on the ground one minute, busy asking questions the next.

"Yeah, Salar's Rest is somewhere near Koboth. No cult around. Just old Ashlan Crusade ruins. Mosaic depicting the afterlife journey. Its a much smaller structure than what we are in now. You should visit it sometime."

Persephone didn't give much more information to Ben Khal as it was one of the more well known Ashlan sites. Easy enough to find in archives that they had referenced themselves. Having now seen the mosaic in this catacomb, it was of similar style but it was difficult to say if that was intentional or not. Certainly didn't have this god that the other teenager was referencing.

 

[Ben Khal]

Salar's Rest? The vision must've really thrown him off. He nodded in agreement. "Perhaps I should." If the mural was similar in style, perhaps the same artist had created it. He might even be able to trigger another psychometric vision, learn more about the mysterious master who had faced Tophet centuries earlier.

He really ought to get back to work, but he didn't want the chance meeting with Persephone to end just yet. Their paths had crossed twice now, but what if he never saw her again? The thought pained him, though he couldn't say why. Maybe he was just lonely. It had been hard, chasing ghosts and rumors without Master Oukranos to help him.

"Why are you studying the Ashlan Crusade?" he asked. "For... school?" From the way he uttered the word school, one would think it was a distant and alien concept to him.

Persephone Dashiell​