First Reply In the Shadow of Tanalorr

[Darth Nefaron]

At the heart of the Koboh Abyss lay a world forgotten by time.

Tanalorr

It's temple long forgotten. Its secrets long concealed.
​

But that is why Darth Nefaron had come to this backwater ruin, to unveil the path to Tanalorr once more. This remote corner of the Outer Rim lay far from the Sith Empire and the High Republic, but from the hidden world, the Corpse Lord could build another bastion of fear and tyranny to bring ruin to the galaxy. The issue was that the path to Tanalorr was closed, the Abyss threatening to destroy any ship that dared traverse its depths without a path. While the Corpse Lord was ambitious, he was not suicidal, and so the forces of the Corpse Legion fell upon Koboh in search of ancient secrets. A few farming settlements and prospectors called the rock home, but they were of little use to the Dark Lord.

But they would make fine slaves nonetheless. ​

Legion raiding parties would handle that task, Nefaron focused his attention on the ancient Jedi ruins that dotted the surface of Koboh. Once, such ruin lay buried within the center of a great valley, the path to a hidden observatory hidden away behind ancient defenses, broken droids, and tons of rock and earth that had begun to consume the facility. Most dangerous of all was this so-called "Koboh Matter" that seemed to consume entire portions of the facility, black and poisonous to life, it provided the perfect defense against those who valued life.

But to one so well versed in the Dark? It showed him the path to his goal. ​

The trail led the Corpse Lord into a darkened chamber. Several Legionaries followed their master, but Nefaron took the lead as he neared a seemingly pristine holoprojector, one free from the corruption of Koboh and the strain of time. It took time, but the device would soon leap to life to reveal an ancient Jedi Master, one whose name was long forgotten and whose knowledge had been abandoned before the Jedi were nearly wiped out by Order 66 in the days of Sidious.

"-seek me out, or return ot Tanalorr. That is yours to decide."

A partial recording, and one that did not glean any knowledge of the path. But Nefaron was close; he only needed to delve deeper into the recordings.

Unless there was one who came to stop him.

Or perhaps claim Tanalorr for themselves? ​

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Nefaron
Avarice prowled above the scene as it unfurled, letting the Sith do as he pleased for now. He had not come to rescue the people of Koboh.

Mercy was a Jedi's affliction, after all, and he was no Jedi.

The Corpse Legion spilled across the valley below, dragging farmers and prospectors from their homes while their master listened to broken ghosts in the dark. Useful, perhaps. Loud men often made fine door keys.

Avarice watched from above the half-buried observatory, lust-red eyes tracing the thin pulse of ancient power beneath the stone.

"Go on… dig deeper," he murmured. "Find the lock for me."

 

[Darth Nefaron]

It appeared the path to Tanalorr would not easily open.
​

Despite his best efforts, the key data Nefaron needed would not be found within the ancient console. But he had his path, odd as it was, to his next destination. Within the putrid swamps of Koboh lay the ruins of a Trade Federation Lucrehulk, or at least the Core of said vessel. Though it continued to sink further into the muck over the centuries since the Clone Wars, the upper half of the vessel remained accessible. Within its databanks lies the key, and as if to solidify this point, a final recording played, this time from a much later date than that of the Jedi Master. The recording displayed what appeared to be a large Gen'Dai speaking with another individual, obscured by corruption from the damage the console had sustained over the centuries since its last use.

"We have the key. Tanalorr beckons, Dagan. We only need to repair the device. Though ruined, this vessel provides-"

The Corpse Lord stopped the recording, suddenly turning on his heel and allowing his dead eyes to peer into the darkness, though it seemed he looked at nothing in particular. But he had felt a disturbance in the force, though he could not place what exactly it was. If he had indeed been followed and was being spied upon, it was not a race to Tanalorr.

"Captain, have our forces arrived at the ship in the swamp?"

"Yes, Lord. Though they encounter resistance from the local fauna, they are preparing to enter the ship itself."

"Contact them and tell them to double their efforts. I will not have my prize stolen from me. Bring me a shuttle."

"As you wish, my master."

As the Legionnaire was made to carry out Nefaron's orders, the Corpse Lord was quick to activate his lightsaber and destroy the console he had been so enamored with only moments before. He would ensure he was the last to know of the path to Tanalorr, even if it meant destroying the last remains of the ancient Jedi that had discovered the path in the first place.

If he were to learn who his enemy was, it would be aboard the crashed ship in the swap.

TAGS: Avarice ​