It is a place still potent with power...

[Darth Timoris]

Korriban. The ancestral home of the Sith. A place of great power; the Dark-side lives and breathes in the very core of this world.

And home to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Every young Sith visited them, to explore the tombs of all the Dark Masters buried there, hoping to find secrets hidden inside them.

A funny thing to seek. The secrets of the dead. Conventional wisdom said that four thousand years after the Jedi pillaged them, nothing of value remains. Yet Sith came, and new discoveries were made. Melori herself had come here with both her Masters. Once she’d found an ancient scroll and met the ghost of one of the Sith Lords. The other time she’d faced her greatest fear — something of a trial before becoming a Knight.

So why return now? Something drew her here. She never questioned the Force, or the machinations of the Dark Lord. She simply did as she saw fit. Whereas once she was narrow in her thinking, she now took in the wider vista. It was no longer about a solitary duel, she was dealing in the fates of planets, star systems. And somehow, she didn’t know precisely how yet, Korriban was connected. And last time she was drawn here, she’d found a new Apprentice.

So she marched across the scorched sand of Korriban's wastelands, noticing the sun sinking quickly below the horizon. She'd been walking for hours beneath its heat; the small city of Dreshdae and the temple that towered over it were far behind her. They had been reduced to mere specks on the horizon; if she were to look back, she would have just been able to make them out in the fading light.

But she didn't look back. She marched doggedly onward. The blazing heat hadn't slowed her; neither would temperatures that were about to drop to near freezing with the setting of the sun. Physical discomfort — cold, heat, thirst, hunger, fatigue — had no significant effect on her, sustained as she was by the power of the Force.

She remembered the first time he'd set foot on Korriban. She'd sensed the power of the world: Korriban was alive with the Dark-side. Yet the feeling had been faint and distant. And how, when she’d left the starport behind, she'd expected that feeling to grow stronger. With each step drawing her closer to the Valley of the Dark Lords sshe thought he'd feel the Dark-side growing in its intensity.

Instead she'd felt nothing. No noticeable change at all. As it was now. She was only a few kilometres away from the valley's entrance; she could see the shaded outlines of the nearest tombs carved from the stone walls. And still the Dark-side was no stronger than a hollow echo, no more than the lingering memory of distant words spoken in the distant past. But at least she expected it now.

She redoubled her pace. She wanted to reach the valley before complete darkness. She had a handful of glow rods with her; she could use them to find her way if necessary. Unfortunately, their light would act like a beacon in the darkness, signalling her location to anyone-or anything. But she was confident she could survive almost any encounter, but there were things that lurked near the tombs whose attention she would rather not attract.

The last few rays of light still hung in the air when she finally reached her destination. The Valley of the Dark Lords lay sprawled out before her, hidden beneath the cover of twilight's gloom. Day or night would make no difference once she was inside the tombs: she'd have to use the glow rods no matter what time it was.

She was drawn to the nearest temple, the only one she could actually make out in the dim light. Like all the tombs, this one had been dug out from the high stone cliffs that boxed in the valley on either side. The grand archway at the entrance had been built out from the cliff face, but the chambers that housed the remains of the Dark Lord interred within wound their way deep into the rock.

As she got closer, he could make out intricate designs carved into the archway. Something was written across the top in letters she didn't recognise. The craftsmanship would have been awe inspiring at one time, but eons of desert winds had worn away most of the detail.

She paused on the threshold, taking in the air of forbidden mystery that surrounded the entrance to the tomb. She still sensed no change in the Force, however and marched boldly through the shattered portal, making her way down the long entrance tunnel, moving slowly through the gloom. Half a dozen meters in, the darkness became absolute, so she pulled out a glow rod and activated it.

An eerie blue light filled the tunnel, sending a small swarm of deadly pelko bugs scurrying for refuge beyond the dim circle of illumination. They had been stalking her, closing in from all sides. She could still sense them there, lurking in the shadows all around her, but she wasn't afraid. After all, it wasn't the light keeping them at bay.

Pelko bugs, like many of the creatures indigenous to Korriban, were attuned to the Force. They would have sensed her arrival even before she entered the tomb; her power would inevitably draw them in. Yet it also kept them and their paralysing spines at a safe distance. Instinctively, the pelko bugs could sense the sheer scope of her power; they were wary of her. They wouldn't come close enough to actually attack her, making them nothing more than a nuisance.

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

Pryde had been on Korriban for nearly a month already, Honing his lightsaber skills against both K'lor slugs and the ancient Sith battle droids that somehow still roamed the halls of the tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Around him now lay the rotting and decaying corpses of the beasts he had slain, Though it mattered little to him. For nearly three days now he'd been meditating in the burial chamber deep inside the tomb of the Dark Lord Nada Shadow, Drawing from the power around him, focusing his mind as he meditated. He'd come to Korriban for just that, To meditate in the tombs of the fallen Dark Lords and to draw upon their power and knowledge. So far he'd been alone on the planet as far as he knew, Aside from the various wildlife that called Korriban home, Which so far he'd had no qualms about slaughtering on site.

Whispers

No not whispers.... Echoes.

He was no longer alone on Korriban and the one who had come here was teeming with power. He could feel it, Feel the taint of the Darkside upon her and this brought a sinister smile to his pale lips.

The Sith cut his meditation short and after standing to his feet and brushing the dust and dirt from his midnight black robes he'd make his way through the corridors and to the entrance leading back into the Valley of the Dark Lords. He had no idea who he was looking for, But he knew that when he seen them he would know.



[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

A little known fact about ancient Sith training sabers was that each blade was also covered with millions of toxin-filled barbs too small to see, fashioned from the microscopic ridge spines of the deadly pelko bug.

The pelko venom would cause the flesh immediately to burn and blister. Temporary paralysis set in instantly at the point of infection, leaving any limb struck all but useless. This provided an excellent way to mimic the effects of losing a hand, arm, or leg to a lightsaber blade.

Nowadays the blades were simply a variant of a regular saber, but once upon a time these little creatures were harvested. Now nothing culled their numbers.

Right now she was more concerned with the potential dangers the builders of the tomb might have left behind. Sith mausoleums were notorious for their fiendishly lethal traps. Melori reached out with the Force, carefully probing the walls, ground, and ceiling in front of her for anything out of the ordinary. She was relieved-and slightly disappointed — to discover nothing. Part of her had hoped she would stumble across an undiscovered chamber.

She continued down the tunnel, winding her way past various chambers where the wealth and treasures would have been buried with the deceased Dark Lord — along with his still-living lesser servants. The rooms held no interest for her; she wasn't a grave robber. Instead she continued deeper and deeper until she reached a burial chamber.

The pelko bugs matched her progress, endlessly circling just beyond the blue illumination cast by her glow rod. She could hear the high-pitched clicking-skreek skreek skreek-of the frustrated swarm: powerless to assail their prey, yet irresistibly caught up in the wake of her passing.

The burial chamber was easily identifiable by the enormous stone sarcophagus in the centre of the room, resting atop a small stone pedestal. It was little more than a blocky shadow on the fringes of the glow rod's light, but it filled her with a sense of awe.

Still using the Force to scan for traps, she cautiously approached the tomb, her trepidation growing as the blue light washed over it to reveal more and more details. The stone was carved with symbols similar to those on the crypt's entrance, but these hadn't suffered untold centuries of erosion. They stood out starkly, brutal and sharp. she could read the language as ancient Sith — a whole host of warnings to the unworthy.

She reached the platform; it stood a little higher than her knee. she put one foot on it, then reached out to grip a protruding edge of one of the carved symbols on the side of the sarcophagus itself. she half expected to receive a sharp jolt or shock, but all she felt was cold stone beneath her palm.

Using her hold to maintain her balance, she hauled herself up so that she was standing with both feet on the platform, looking down at the top of the tomb. She could now see that the stone slab sealing the sarcophagus had been virtually destroyed. Whatever had been inside was gone, replaced by rubble, dust, and a few bits of broken bone that might once have been the fingers or toes of the Dark Lord's skeletal remains.

She stepped down from the platform, frustrated but still not willing to give up. The Force had brought her here for a reason. Slowly, she turned in a great circle, as if she expected to find the stolen remains lying in a corner of the burial chamber. There was nothing: the tomb had been robbed and defiled.

But she now felt a presence, moving closer. It was Dark-sided for sure. She wondered if she should go and meet them, then thought better of it. She would wait to see if they were worthy enough to make it this far.

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

His force suppression had worked, The woman having walked right past him and into the burial chamber of the Dark Lord Naga Shadow. As she began her turn he quickly called upon the force to wrap him in the very shadows he now watched her from, Hoping it would keep him hidden until he could ascertain her reasoning for being here on Korriban.

Fear was not found in Jayce easily but something about this woman warned him that she was quite dangerous, And he had no intentions of being the next Sith to be buried in this tomb.

Through the manipulation of the force and with just a bit of stage magic his voice would sound within the tomb as if emanating from within the sarcophagus itself. His tone deep and menacing in nature as it slipped from his lips.....

"You dare to disturb the slumber of Lord Naga Sadow.....WHY HAVE YOU ENTERED MY TOMB?!??"

 

[Darth Timoris]

Timoris had met real-life Sith Lords. Very real and very scary ones.

And she'd met spirits too. One in this very valley - Marka Ragnos. And countless unnamed ones summoned by teachers when she was an Acolyte. And Bane's gatekeeper of course.

They all had one thing in common - they were the real thing.

This voice was imposing and menacing but there was one thing you couldn't fake - the Force. There was a feeling. The oily-slickness of the Dark-side that enveloped and suffocated you with its cloying presence. At once liberating and yet suppressing. Empowering and enslaving.

You could't replicate that, not with a parlour trick. But whoever had done it had managed to hide his or her presence from the Voice of the Dark Lord. So they were not without talent.

"To kill you," she responded, her voice flat and clearly fake. "It is my destiny."

She put her hands on her hips, her standard issue black robes hanging loosely and the movement revealing her twin sabers. "Or you can show yourself and I can decide if you're worth killing or not. But don't keep me waiting. I do not have countless patience."

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

"To kill you,"

That's all Jayce needed to hear. Within a half of a second Corruption was ignited with a SNAP HISS as Pryde lunged forward and stabbed his saber forwards, Aimed to pierce the Dark Lord betwixt her shoulders. His force aura breaking through his suppression as he came from the shadows behinds her. The words exiting his mouth sounding more like the roar of a wounded rancor as he charged her...
. "I am Darth Pryde and you shall bow before me or die woman!" He was not actually a Dark Lord, Merely the title he'd taken and granted himself, Though he knew he was destined to be one.

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Being a Sith was sometimes like being a one-trick pony. It was a very marvellous pony, with a lustrous coat and a beautiful mane – but it just knew the Force.

Timoris was not only trained in the ways of the Sith. She was an expert exponent of Teräs Käsi. She’d had one of the best teachers of all time. Literally. But explaining the how was complicated – given she didn’t look old enough – which she wasn’t. Yes, it was complicated all right.

So she sensed the attack even though the assailant was cloaked in the Force. It was, after all, what the martial art was designed for. Options flashed through her mind in slow motion, such was the time she had to choose.

The first was if she should kill him outright, maim him then kill him, maim him and leave him to die, or play with him? Given the Force had somehow brought her here, she decided on the latter choice.

She sensed the blade aimed between her shoulder blades and side-stepped at a speed that defied logic. But then Teräs Käsi allowed that. She simply stuck out a foot and gave the attacked a gentle push with the Force. If his own momentum didn’t carry him over her foot and sprawling on the stone floor, the Force Push would.

“You disappoint me...now tell me why I shouldn’t kill you?”

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

With the force push at his back hurling him forward, Jayce would quickly tuck into a roll and pop back to his feet before turning to face his opponent with a snarl curling his thin lips. His yellowing eyes nearly glowing with rage as he pointed his Lightsaber in the woman's direction as his left hand raised to aim square at her as blue sparks began jumping between his slender fingers as he advanced towards her and spoke.... "Because you can't woman! I am Darth Pryde and you shall perish!"

 

[Darth Timoris]

There was giving someone a chance because they intrigued you. And there was allowing a little slack because they had potential.

But you don't challenge a Sith Lord in this way. Not if you want to live.

Her eyes morphed from their usual baby blue hue to a sulphurous yellow and the irises were circled crimson. She lifted her right hand and red lightning arced from her fingertips, hitting him straight in the chest as he advanced. It was actually a lesson she'd learned as an Acolyte. But now she was a Lord. A Voice of the Dark Lord too. Her power was significantly greater than the day she'd first attempted this. And her control far more precise.

She smiled as she simply drained both his life essence and his Force power simultaneously. He would feel weaker and his ability to use the Force would diminish with every passing second. And she would feed on the lost vitality - like some Sith vampire.

He might learn his lesson. Or he might die. She cared little for the outcome now. It was for him to decide.

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

As her hand lifted so would his, Releasing the force lightning from his palm aimed to colide with her own lightning. Unfortunately for Jayce the woman's power far surpassed his own, Her lightning tearing through his as it crashed into his chest and swatted him across the room as if he were weightless. Corruption flew haphazardly across the floor as the young Sith crashed into a wall and slowly slumped over, Too weak to even stand...

 

[Jayce Pryde]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

As her hand lifted so would his, Releasing the force lightning from his palm aimed to colide with her own lightning. Unfortunately for Jayce the woman's power far surpassed his own, Her lightning tearing through his as it crashed into his chest and swatted him across the room as if he were weightless. Corruption flew haphazardly across the floor as the young Sith crashed into a wall and slowly slumped over, Too weak to even stand...

 

[Darth Timoris]

She contemplated draining his entire life force. That would be - to coin a phrase - a most exacting lesson.

But his needless death was...pointless. She didn't inflict pain or death for so reason. It always served a purpose. Right now, his suffering had taught him something. Well, possibly. He might recover and attack her again. He was a dog and she'd taught him a trick. How well he responded to the training would determine if she needed to put him down or not.

She didn't want him to become a quivering wreck that was terrified of her. But the arrogance he had shown was misplaced and needed to reflect his level of ability. If he could just get the balance right? He had the raw talent, he just needed the training. Which is where she could help.

Possibly.

She wandered across to him, her eyes now returning to their natural blue hue.

"Your name?"

[member="Jayce Pryde"]

 

[Jayce Pryde]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

He knew he'd been beaten and the look of pure rage in his eyes showed such. He thought seriously about grabbing his saber and going down swinging but instantly thought better and decided to just answer the woman. His tone was rough and not nearly nice as he sat up and glared at the Sith Lord..... "What's it matter my name? Your most likely just going to kill me anyway so why bother asking?"