Private Grooming the Garden

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper gazed down upon Lady Marrow with a gaze both impassive but riddled with unspoken judgement. The skies of Dromund Kaas roiled, as always, with the storms brought about by rampant Dark Side energies suffusing it's very surface. For this lesson the Marrow had been brought into the wilderness of Dromund Kaas, amongst the wildlife and foliage that may help her feel more... at home. He could feel the indignation radiating off of her, like she were a child who had shocked themselves with a stun baton after being warned it would be painful and now? Sought to vent her anger at the adult whom sought to nurture her, to teach her, and the low-burning amber eyes of the Shaper gazed at her with both distaste and almost fatherly exasperation. His tone dripping with weariness.

"Truly? Has your second experience with war scarred you so?" Stepping past the Marrow he would take a deep, contemplative sigh before glancing back at her over his shoulder. The triplet of gleaming starlight above his brow fluctuating for a moment as he gazed at the Marrow "Come. We shall see about helping you..... adapt to such situations." Without another word did The Shaper begin to walk into the wilderness, the long obsidian cloak flowing down his form giving the illusion he simply glided over Dromund Kaas' surface. The Dark Side rolling off of his form like an obscuring cloak of midnight blackness as he led the Marrow toward her prepared test. There in the jungles of Dromund Kaas was a peculiar sight for the heart of the Empire, an escaped gaggle of Galactic Alliance soldiers. Crudely dressed and even more crudely equipped, and The Shaper quietly exerted the Force over the two of them to conceal themselves. Hiding them from the single Jedi Padawan directing the troopers. The Shaper had, of course, seen to the escape of these individuals for the sole purpose of testing the Marrow, his gaze turning to her and telling her everything she needed to know.

These two squadrons of 8 were in a small, fortified Sith encampment, having already dealt with the small team there in their efforts to escape the Empire. The soldiers were primarily armed with simple blaster rifles procured from their once-captors, though one did seem to tout around a flamethrower and another a anti-vehicle missile launcher. The Jedi who lead and directed them was a young woman, with fiery red hair and a gleaming blue lightsaber ignited in one hand.

Spoiler: The Jedi

The Shaper's voice quietly echoed the sentiment his gaze levelled upon her, encouraging her forward. 'Go, dear Marrow, prove to me your garden can weather the flames of war and you shall be rewarded. Like a seed growing from the ashes of a great fire, like a tree standing firm in the face of a hurricane, we will see you strengthened against these horrors. Should you be successful, I shall grant thee knowledge.'

 

[Lady Marrow]

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Tag: Arctus Silmar
Equipment: Marrow Blade

Lady Marrow had, had a difficult time getting this damned ship to work, she had to make her way to the space port on Kushiban and somehow get transport to the planet that she was meant to be meeting her master on. It hadn't been long since Malachor V, and her body had since thankfully healed from the wounds she had taken from that force damned war. She had been terrified since the end of the battle, anxious, moving around corners and the other Sith. She had learned something important about the motivations of hominids, that they were varied. In her short time in the space of the Sith she'd only had to face down the mortalities of others, the concept that her own could be in jeopardy hadn't come to mind.

And where was her master in her time of crisis? The one who was tasked with shaping her into everything he had promised her to be. It seemed that the universe was filled with people of incredible potential, and not everyone was going to simply accept that everything was a game in the same way she did. So, equally as mad as she was scared she had transformed into a creature small enough to warp its way into the vents of a civilian ship that was heading to the planet in question.

Thankfully after her last instance of travel as the passengers on the ship she was moving in had long since fallen into a sleep, hopefully to be fine if they sought medical attention on arrival, piloting ships and landing them was something she had learned from since the last time she had attempted a landing. She'd learned to stow away only on ships that had a droid on board. Together they landed safely and soon enough she would find her way into the woods, hoping to come into contact with the being known to many as The Shaper. Where immediately the being would have known her fury.

"I can't believe you left me there all alone! No-one ever told me that war was something I could get hurt in! It was just me guarding the temple with a handful of people, OH and did you know, those... laser... things? Yeah, they can EXPLODE! It really hurt! Someone even tried to drop a roof on me!!!"

But as the shaper spoke, she would begin to calm, he didn't seem like the worst of all the sith. "I wasn't ready, I panicked, and honestly I don't know why... that didn't happen the first time. Something was wrong with me there... That planet was like a poison to me somehow. Which is normally fine, I quite like poison." She had no clue that the sheer sum of the force power present on Malachor, not to mention with the presence of a force wound her connections to her garden had been tampered with, something which the Shaper could likely deduce connected directly to her mental state in more than one way.

Soon enough the two of them were moving through the brush, the mix of the greenery as well as the font of darkside energy which plumed in waves off of the Shaper reminded her of her garden, or perhaps even more excitingly, being in someone elses garden. Eventually facing down a small fort that seemed to be filled with rank and file members of yet another military group. Blasters in their hands as Lady Marrow could not help but freeze a little at the prospect of potentially being shot again. Yet, it quickly began to ease, her connection with her garden solidly reinforced with her active focus with her being surrounded by greenery helping to ease her stress... However, the last words he spoke were strange to her, flowery, was her garden on fire!? A look of concern crossed her face as she would attempt to gain some insight as to what he was saying.

"A-are you sure? Also, fire will damage my seeds, please don't set anything on fire. . ."

After possibly exchanging a short tense moment, she would garner that he wanted these people removed. Such a task should, in theory, be easy. Flowing the force through her skin she would manipulate her body to take on some of the brown textures and earth tones of the world around her, shifting into her form that resembled that of a larger than normal Hssiss. Sleuthing through the brush floor with utmost stealth as her dual too-long-tails would flit from side to side, their guillotine barbs thrashing nervously as she would attempt to make her stealthy approach, rotating around the compound, listening to them, learning their positions and hoping to gain some information about them from up close with her camouflage before planning her attack.

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[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity || Whilstone of Power||
Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian || Empyrean Gland
Voice Sample

The Shaper took the Marrow's fury in stride, listening to her with the stoic indifference of a being who had seen stars wither and die, before he simply nodded his assent when she politely asked he not set anything on fire. The distinct fact the naive little creature had failed to understand him only exasperating him as he observed her transformation. Useful, but unrefined. She was acting on naught but instinct but, given time, should an ability could be refined. Perhaps he would incorporate such a thing into his newest project.....

Shaking his head slightly to gather his thoughts, The Shaper spread his darkness out amongst the underlying sensations of Dromund Kaas, doing what he could to conceal his presence in the Force. The Alliance soldiers remained unaware of the action, but the red-haired Padawan grunted audibly as the haze of darkness spread over a square kilometer of the planet. Blanketing the area in a haze-like smoke. Though if one were to sense carefully they would find the pulsing black heart that was the Shaper, standing in place, watching Lady Marrow keenly as the Padawan began to pant. One of the soldiers laying a hand on her shoulder in worry as she shakily finished putting together what seemed to be a makeshift transmitter of sorts. Lifting a jury-rigged headset to her ear she would begin to plead "Attention. Attention to any alliance channels who can hear me. This is Padawan Thessa Pindal requesting IMMEDIATE evacuation. Please! We've escaped captivity here on Dromund Kaas and it's only a matter of time before the Sith find out we're gone. Please, someone, anyone!"

The Shaper was.... unimpressed with the girl's pleading. While the sixteen soldiers with her fanned out in defensive formations around the small shelter they had. One of them quickly and quietly dispatching a local predator with a single, well aimed blaster shot to keep it from sniffing too close. The Shaper's voice to the Marrow's mind was soft and reassuring, lilting even, spread out as his presence in the Force was. 'Do not kill the Jedi. Subdue her, my Marrow, it is essential for what I wish to train you.' With his instructions conveyed he paused for only a moment before humming and adding quietly 'As for the rest.... let us see if you can find the leader of these soldiers, and subdue that one as well. The rest? You may dispose of as you see fit.'

Content with what he had told the Marrow, The Shaper let her go about her deadly work, watching ever detail of how she operated, and ever-ready to critique her on anything less than perfection. Though his words, as always, bore the smallest promise of reward should she be successful.