Indiana Beorni and the Temple of Ice

[Micah tol Powl]

THE PLANET
RHEN VAR
ANCIENT RUINS OF THE JEDI

The conditions on the surface were what humans referred to as a white out.

Harsh winds, mixed with heavy snowfall to create a veritable blizzard. As the rising air pressure drove the temperatures into a steep plunge, the small cub was peeking his head inside of the cathedral-like facade of a building partially unearthed by the shifting snow. It had appeared out of nowhere, not on any of the charts or records that the Silver Watch had prepared in mapping out the landscape of Rhen Var.

Changing surface conditions had caused an avalanche, exposing the now dead husk of a structure that had existed upon Rhen Var millennia ago. Buried, for all time, under meters upon meters of ice and snow.

Padding in on all fours, the small cub paused to look around the frozen interior. Ice clung to every surface. Humidity and moisture collected in icicles that hung like jagged teeth from overhead. It rather resembled him, as the bear's thick white fur was bristling with ice crystals. A vigorous shake, starting with the roll of the head, became like a wave of loose skin and fat. The motion seemed to bounce from nose to tail, sending the ice and snow flying from his body before the boy rose up on his hind legs.

A Sasori circlet caught the light, hung around his neck like a collar, the only article that he wore. Translucent fibers separated light like a prism, creating a rainbow like halo around him even as his fur seemed to glow in the low light.

Taking a step back, the youngling waited for his master to join him.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"By the Force and the Gods, this is magnificent", he whispered to Kirirko as he walked beside his apprentice. "Take care on where you place your paws Kiriko the place could still be unstable". He would do the same. Theo pulled around his black alk fur wrapping his body within the warmth of it and coupled the use of the force to keep his body at a good temperature, but in essence he was loving the cold. Turning back for a moment, his eyes narrowed as the blinding light of the white out intruded in his sight but there would be no let up on the blizzard any time soon and the thought had crossed his mind that they would have to be prudent about time spent here else they could find themselves snowed in. He did not fancy others to discover their bodies in thousands of years more.

The light bleeding from Kiriko's collar enough to give them a view of the place, so beautiful is the place locked in the ice and with the light colour danced around the vast room. His head turned upward to look at the down hanging icicles knowing enough to avoid them as they had a habit of breaking off and would not be forgiving to anyone standing under them.

Such a contrast between Beorni and Valkyri yet a sense of kinship between the two races of Midvinter made them match well. For Theo had saw what his young apprentice would grow up into in time and what a great warrior he would become. They are a noble race, gentle and filled with spirits of the ancients and the force and a long removed relationship now come to light and will be established once more. For the Beorni had taught the Valkyri everything they knew .. all the artistry of crafting not only things of wood but metal.

Having met the Elder of Heimland, Theo held a great reverence for the Beorni.

Theo moved to the side of the room, walked along the line by the columns amazed at the hidden structure, the Temple.

​

[member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Kiriko"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

Matsu was here looking at the large ruins, all of the work that was going into the things on Rhen Var and restoring ancient jedi sites across the world. She knew there was even more efforts. One of those efforts was teaching the next generation of artisan's who would be roaming around and working on different things throughout the galaxy for themselves. Matsu was walking and allowing the kimono robes that she had made for herself to display the new material and skills that sasori was doing when they worked on things. It allowed her a few ideas before she was walking around looking up to see all of it, to see some of the ice coing down within the area. "THis is a very nice find." Never one to not give the padawans or jedi who learn and discover new things a lack of credit and support she was moving and tapping the tactical pad to send a probe droid out to explore the area for themselves. She was looking at it for the mapping and tracking in case there was anything they might not be able to sense within the area. "There is a lot of history here, makes me want to train skills like psychometry more."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The boy waddled slightly as he wandered about.

His head turned up, the boy seemed in awe of every inch those rose above them. So much so, in fact, that he walked right into a column that was in front of him. The impact was enough to dislodge some frost from the pillar, sending it raining - or snowing in this case - down on top of the small bear.

Shaking his head vigorously, the boy shook some of the loose frost from out of his fur, rubbing his nose slightly as he maneuvered around the pole. And kept his eyes in front of him, instead of everywhere else.

"How long do you think this has been here?" the boy inquired curiously, as he passed by a shelf on which old tomes were encased in permafrost. Tapestries hung, the fabric disintegrating away with time and dry rot, as ice crystals hung from off tattered strands. The cub paused to look at up at a section of wall, intrigued by what seemed to be lines etched into the stone. Then he took a step back, following by another. With each step, his gaze going higher and higher, the boy realized that there was a giant mosaic of some strange, fanciful design there upon the wall. Faded with time.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Théo all but cringed as Kiriko thumped into the column dislodging ice which showered down over him and Théo. Ice did not worry either of them, however his eyes shot up to the high ceilings in hope nothing else was about to fall from on high. It didn't, and thankfully so and as Master Ike joined them she too seemed impressed by the place and rightly so for it was amazing to behold. "I have no idea how old this place is, do you Master Ike?".

Walking onward until Théo found a series of stairs which appeared to lead up to a large door and into who knew what, he climb them curiosity growing stronger with every passing moment. While Kiriko was looking over the mosaic, Théo's hands ran over the markings on the door, pushing back some of the settle ice to reveal carvings of a language unknown to him and a dipiction of a story it seemed to him, but hard to make out as time had eroded some of it. It reminded him of the carvings within the halls of the Grand Hall on Midvinter. A library of history etched in the wood for all to see and 'read', and it appeared to be the same in this case.

He could make out some of it however, Jedi standing in a circle with heads bowed in reverence, others with sabers fighting a unidentified foe and a Temple, this Temple probably in all its glory in a time long passed. The rest was too marked with time to find any meaning in them.

​

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Kiriko"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

"Based on some of the estimates the jedi teams have gotten of other locations around the planet and its proximity to Ossus. I would put these ruins maybe within the twenty thousand year old mark. The jedi used to explore across the galaxy finding places strong in the force. The solari crystals that form on this world would have called to them." She said it and was thinking of what she knew from a number of other ruins scattered across the galaxy." She was thinking about it while watching the small cub with the snow as she walked around bringing her hand out with one of the glow rods to cast an orange light around the area. Providing one for theo when she spoke. "THey use energy recycling which allows the power cells to almost never run out."

She stuck around while she was looking around the ruins to get a better idea of it all. Her other hand coming up with the tora'yor that shimmered with the metal bands and crystals making a small barrier for the snow to fall on. She was getting a better idea of what she would be able to see in the ruins herself while going across the way so she could look at the images herself wondering about a few of the areas. "Though I am just guessing in most cases about it. We should be able to figure out when it was with a small team from Seimei, their archeological division and work have been getting a number of improvement now that the components to restore jedi temples and locations are completed. They started moving across the galaxy."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The cub's soft, round ears perked up.

Twenty thousand years. His muzzle formed an 'o' as he murmured, impressed, at the age. It was difficult to imagine a stretch of time such as that. The number seemed so wholly large as to have been incomprehensible. What had the galaxy been like then? What kind of space boats had they voyaged in? What kind of worlds had been known to them?

As the cub took another step back, he stepped on a piece of something like cloth.

The cloth slid along the floor, shooting in one direction and taking the bear's feet out from under him. The small Beorni went tumbling to the ground, finding himself entangled in some kind of tarp that was disintegrating even as it hung over him. As the boy shuffled his way from out of the drapery, his found himself holding the faded, gilded mantle of some kind of ancient robe. "Hey guys!" the bear called, turning his head to look down in the direction of where Théo and Matsu were mulling about. "Don't you think this robe reminds you of Master Harrison?"

In his mind, the cub could almost see the scene unfolding...

Giggling slightly at the image in his mind, the boy bent down to set the tattering remains of the robe back down. "Sorry for stepping on you," the boy remarked. To be polite, not because he thought that the robe was going to answer him.

Straightening back up, the cub shuffled along, peering at the mosaic and markings on the wall.

Turning down another hallway, he was presented with a bright, vibrant scene that might have been a sunrise. "Oh, this one's pret..."

He'd taken a step back in order to peer around the corner and call down to Théo and Master Matsu. Except, when he had, he'd collided with the robe.

The same robe.

It was hovering in the air, just above and behind the cub.

...was that normal behavior for robes? "Uh... guys..? The robe is back..."

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Theo allow a brow to rise as Master Ike gave an educated guess on the age of the place. He remained by the doors, hand still feeling the surface as if that would conjure some meaning in the strange language. His eyes looked upward, the doors seemed to go on high into the vaulted ceiling but his hand soon found a handle and as he decided to turn it to see if the door would open the handle broke off in his hand. He flash a look back toward Master Ike and Kiriko while trying to hide the broken knob like a ten year old worried about getting into trouble for it and so he placed the knob on a thing in the room and covered it with snow. Nothing to see here.

He looked around for Kirirko hoping the youngling was not getting himself into trouble either, when he found him a ways aways holding some sort of old rag. "You mean that old decrepid piece of cloth reminds me of Master [member="Connor Harrison"]? .. yeah, it does", he grinned before turning away to find Master Ike and see what she was up to.

"Master? what have you ..", he stopped and shot a comment to Kiriko, "What do you mean it is back?", he yelled a little to loud and the vibrations of his voice dislodged the snow directly above Master Ike's head and the next thing she would know would be a shower of snow falling over her black hair. "Err, sorry Master .. let me get that for you". He gently brushed away the snow from her shoulders and hair, "Well at least it wasn't the ceiling". Hoping to make light of his faux pas and make her smile.

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Kiriko"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

She was listening to the area when Kiriko said something that got her attention. Turnign to look at the cloth for a moment and... Something old, covered in mold, left in the cold because every woman he knows abandoned him..... Yeah she could see it resembling [member="Connor Harrison"] somewhat. Though THe cloth she imagined had been touched by more people.... Kiriko needed an adult. "Padawan be careful you have no idea where that has been it could." Then the cloth was gone and some snow wasfalling as the other one Theo wiping some of the snow from her hair when she was turnig to look back towards Kiriko and seeing the robe, cloak whatever it was as she grinned. "THank you and this is an interesting discovery." She stuck with it moving back a little and looking at what they had to discover or explore. "We should be careful with it and see what we can do with it. At least hopefully to understand what it is... it would not be good if they were a species or something dangerous."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"What do you mean, it is back?"

So this probably wasn't something typical of robes.

Kiriko didn't really wear clothes, so he wasn't really the one to ask. But it made sense from Master Théo's reaction that this probably wasn't normally behavior for an article of clothing. Putting his muzzle in the crook of one paw, the cub looked up at the floating robe. "Hmmmm..."

"...it would not be good if they were a species or something dangerous."

"I don't know, I doesn't look dangerous..." the boy noted aloud. It just looked like a ratty old piece of cloth. "Are you very dangerous?" the cub asked, speaking to the robe.

As though in response, the piece of cloth lifted itself up. One corner seemed to point toward the mural on the wall. The cub's round head tilted to one side, as the boy's faun brown eyes looked at the robe, then at the wall, then back at the robe. Was it saying that the answer was there, somewhere?

Drawing in a breath, the young Beorni held out both arms. Shifting from side to side, the cub tried to feel for the White Current around him. Bit by bit, strand by strand, he began to see it. Like a fine spider's web. Reaching out with one paw, the boy set off a spark along one strand, which led up to the wall. As the spark traveled up the White Current, the energy spread out along the wall, illuminating the lines of the mosaic there.

It wasn't a sunrise, it was a crystal.

And there were figures - Jedi? - on either side of the crystal, holding crystals of their own. These smaller, individual crystals seemed to be part of swords, or cloaks, or armors.

Taking another look up at the cloak, the young Beorni saw the gleam of a crystal embedded in the back of the mantle.

"Oh, I don't think it's the robe... I think its the crystal."

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Giving Master Ike a questioning look, Theo went to Kiriko to see what he was talking about. And as he approached he saw the ratty piece of material .. the robe .. floating in the air? His hand could not help but grab for his saber, his heart pounding in his chest as the events of Monastery came back to him. The evil in that tapestry was so powerful, so overwhelming it almost claimed the life of one he cares for very much. "Care young one, not everything is what it seems .. not always". He said in a low voice on approach. "Trust what the fo .. spirits tell you Kirkio, don't always trust what your eyes see".

And Theo did just that, reached out throught the force toward the cloth searching for anything that would indicate any presense of evil, but found none. Strange though to see this old fabric levitating as if with a life of its own, and when it pointed to something, Theo turned in that direction. Now crystals are another kettle of fish altogether, especially here on Rhen Var.

He too could make out the carvings with the Jedi holding them, although faded with time and erosion from years of ice, it was possible to make it out. "We move with caution Kiriko, but we will investigate".

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Kiriko"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

Matsu moved up and over to see what they were doing as she sensed it... well sensed a lack of with the cloak itself. There didn't seem to be any hostile intent to it before she was using a glow rod to see the mural the cloak was directing them to. Then she stepped back to take it all in wiping away at some of the snow and ice as the different figures around the crystal with their own ones came. Focus in her mind to connect it and apply some ideas before she crossed her arms. "The crystal, hmm there are crystals that talk to people. The listeners developed skills to hear them, the force resonating can speak to some people as well in the crystal caves and there is a sort of intelligence when they seem to make you see things but this is taking it to a different level all together." She turned to look at the cloak the robe whatever it was and spoke. "I would say we should study you but that wouldn't take into account what you want."

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"...hmm there are crystals that talk to people..."

The cub's ears shot upward. "Crystals can talk to people!?" Okay, that wasn't an inside voice. A light dusting of snow fell as the permafrost overhead was disturbed by the young Beorni's outburst. Still, why didn't the grown ups ever tell him about these things?

...except now. They were telling him now. So, they were telling him. He just would like to know about these things in advance.

He wondered how to go about requesting that his master inform him of any and all cool stuff before said cool stuff happened.

Turning back toward the mosaic, the boy wondered aloud, "Do you think that's what the Jedi here were doing? Talking to the crystals?"

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"Crystals can talk to people!?"

​

This, from a bear that talks. Theo grinned to himself. Well anything in this galaxy was possible he supposed and crystals that talked to people would not be out of the ordinary. "I think what Master Ike means is that they communicate through a senses, or sensation that Jedi receive from them". He looked toward Master Ike for clarification, but his eyes could not help but roam across the room as if expecting a booming voice from the vast vaults to correct him.

"I remember when I gathered my crystal from the caves here for my lightsaber it called to me, it was not through words but a feeling, a guidance that lead me to it", he hoped he was making sense to the Beorni, after all they do view the force in a different way. "Like when the Spirits communicate with you Kiriko". The Spirits and the Force being the same.

"So yes, they might have been doing just that, speaking with the crystals. But lets test it shall we?". Theo walked toward the wall of ice, and at this point he noticed that the very columns and wall are not ice at all but crystal, the whole place seemed to have been carved out of it. He laid a hand on the cold surface, and spoke. "Hello?", he began, "Theo is my name". With his touch Theo gently caressed the crystal wall with the lightside of the force.

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Kiriko"] [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

"Yes and no... and yes. It all depends on the crystal itself. The amberite is a crystal being that actually lives in and slowly replaces the crystal that is able to communicate through verbal means. Some of the others are a sense and feeling that you get when it is coming to you." She worked over with many of the things to see what she might be able to do. Seeing the beariwan himself being surprised before walking over to see him and the loak until she clasped her hands behind her back. "We shall need to get more information of course but we should be able to have more of an idea for it. "With everything that we have here though the ones from Seimei can work on a number of things. THeir restoration skills and equipment should be able to gather information if we are lucky or there may be notes in the facility Sorel and Orihime discovered from the order long before."