Faction Knights Obsidian: Trouble on Ryloth

[Ascendant Resolve]

Trouble has come to the Confederacy. Intelligence procured by the Inquisition on Ank Kit’aar has suggested that an illegal arena has been established on Ryloth, and the day of the fight is soon. While arena fights are nothing new to the Confederacy, be it as capital punishment or entertainment, there is one striking difference. Most contenders are there willingly, or sent to the arena for payment of crimes. This time, the contenders are rumored to be slaves. “Indentured servants” who have been given the chance to absolve their debts, if they survive. While the information may be legitimate, there’s a chance it’s a false lead.

The Knights Obsidian are not taking that chance. Already home to the foreboding Castle of the Mandragora, as well as the homeworld of a number of high-ranking Confederate Officials, any organization seeking to perform illicit activities on Ryloth is either brave, or stupid. But intelligence suggests that there is indeed a company behind this despicable act. The mission of the Knights Obsidian is twofold: Identify the men and women responsible for organizing this event, and put a stop to the fights, freeing whatever slaves they may encounter along the way.

Corruption runs deep on Ryloth, if an event like this has been permitted to happen. Resistance may be strong, and more organized than the criminal underworld can manage. Be smart. Be decisive. But most importantly, find the source of corruption, and bring an end to this charade...

 

[Uxagi Xatash]

Location: Ryloth
Mood: incredibly annoyed
Tags: Xobos Yakieer
Post: #1

Corruption on Ryloth, they said. Slavery in the bowels, they said. Must liberate the spice world from the indentured workforce they said. To say Xagi could give less of a bantha's rectum about this issue was an understatement. She hadn't been raised on a world where slavery was outlaw, taboo. If anything, she'd fought her way out of servitude and anyone who couldn't was simply too weak and didn't deserve their freedom. Apparently the CIS felt differently and were happy to send a detachment of Knights Obsidian elite to go neutralize this blight upon their precious mission statement.

But she had to fake like she cared. And that's what the wine was for.

Drinking even more than usual as they set up their approach vector, she looked over at her charge. Certainly not the situation she expected to be in coming off of Illyria, but the Force had a way of twisting the best laid plans into abominations of the unusual variety. Still. She'd be lying if she said not traveling alone was a terrible situation.

"Not even any confirmed instances of slavery. So a recon squad is... underkill, apparently?" She sighed as she read over the directive on her data slate.

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Tag: Knights Obsidian (Open) | Mandragora (Open)

Vytal Noctura strode through the streets of a Twi'lek village on Ryloth. She'd already assigned additional groups to visit other villages, and for some Sisters and Brothers to accompany the Nightmother herself. Most importantly, however, was that they were to investigate discretely. Not that the pale woman was overly concerned with their ability to control themselves. That said, some Witches did opt to join the more militant groups within the Knights and could be exposed to poor influences. There was no chance any that heard her voice came away thinking anything less than a discrete investigation was permitted.

To see the Witches among the Twi'lek was nothing unusual, after all. Their home had long been on this world, and they had risen to its defense numerous times -- a few far more recently than Vytal would have liked. A mutual relationship of barter and trade had been fostered over the years. It would be antithetical to the desire for a deeper communion with the cosmos to neglect such close neighbors. True, the mystical people of the Mandragora did not roam the planet instilling law and order -- such was the job of their government -- but they would help when asked, or when a situation became too grievous to ignore.

Now was one of those times.

As for the Nightmother herself, it seemed unlikely those guilty of this crime that secret Confederate documents described would approach or confess any details to her. To do so would risk their entertainment or their credit stream drying up. However, she did not walk among them seeking the guilty. Rather, Vytal sought those that wished better for their fellow woman or man -- people otherwise uncertain how to join with like minded people or oppose these disgusting practices without ending up ensnared in them themselves. Perhaps they felt powerless; well the Mandragora would supply the power to initiate change on Ryloth, and all those with a desire to see it done would need to do was speak the words.

Other fellow Knights Obsidian would be arriving or had arrived as well. Likely other Obsidian Lords might oversee these other groups. Vytal only hoped they would exercise discretion as well and avoid any unnecessary casualties. The loss of one or ten in the grand course of things may very well be insignificant, but that did not make it acceptable.

A smile graced Vytal's dark lips as she clasped a Twi'lek woman's hand between her own. "The Goddess smile upon you," the blessing invoking the Twi'lek Goddess for the kind soul.

One whisper at a time. One step at a time. Not all poisons were drawn swiftly, but drawn they were all the same.

 

[Rylan Kordel]

Equipment: Cross Guard Lightsaber (Plasma Blue Blade) | Wrist Blade | Pair of Axes
Armor: n/a
Locations: Freshly landed on Ryloth, establishing a base camp
Tags: Knights Obsidian (open) | Mandragora (open)

Rylan had made a point of being one of the first Obsidian Lords and Knights to land, his commitment to his old position of a Pathfinder still in mind and veins, though unlike his old title, he wasn't here scouting, no right now he was organizing a small base camp for the rest of the Order, with luck it would be pointless, but one could never be sure in these times. Looking towards the sky, his eyes closed slowly as he took a deep breath, his thoughts on the mission at hand, and the concern that things could go too far, they didn't need the blood of innocence to be spilled, it would just make matters worse, at least that was his belief.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and raised a commlink to call out to any forces nearby "This is the Lord Vizier, I've started to establish a base of operations and will begin transmitting the landing sight, happy hunting Knights." it was short, it was sweet, it was all he really had to say, they all knew why they were here, now it was just a matter of hoping this went smoothly. A smile passed over his face at his own thought, he knew better, no mission was ever as easy as one hoped, and he oh so wondered what complications would arise.

 

[Xobos Yakieer]

Location: Ryloth
Equipment: Lightsaber, Faceless Armor
Mental state: Intrigued
Tags: | Uxagi Xatash | Vytal Noctura | Rylan Kordel | @KO | @Mandragora |

“It’s been a while since we were on this planet…always appreciated the beauty it could grow.” Ora’s thoughts mirrored Xobos’s as they approached the planet’s surface. The last time they had been here was quite a while ago, when she had come to ask about the dreams and nightmares that haunted her on a daily basis. Adron had called her back before she had been able to get any sort of resolution for those dreams, and they continued to plague her to this day, despite whatever measures she tried to take. Maybe she could break away from her new master for a bit after the mission was completed to speak to a witch. They seemed to know what they were doing with dreams and such.

This was her first mission with these knights obsidian, as both her and her new master had been thrown into them rather unceremoniously. That wasn’t to say that she wasn’t familiar with the mission objective. Her time, alone, on Illyria had seen her break up quite a number of slavery rings. Just because some count got a big head and thought he could skip around Adron’s rules while he was gone didn’t mean they could just do whatever they wanted. Xobos had made sure of that. The heads of those that tried to smuggle slaves onto the world showed that. Leaving that life behind to follow in the footsteps of this sith woman was..not an easy decision. But when she had said she could give answers about the voices..well..there weren’t many better options.

Ambrus’ gruff, hard voice came over her mind in the moment, bringing her back to the situation at hand. “It’s not like she’s actually provided any answers yet, little master. Besides…we have work to do, don’t we?” Xobos grumbled a response under her breath, moving to the viewport to watch as the shuttle began making it’s way down to the planet. Her new master’s voice caught her attention, prompting her to turn her masked face toward the woman. “Underkill, maybe. Though I’m in no position to allow slavers of..any kind walk free. Especially not on a world like this one.” She gave a little shrug, looking back out the viewport. The pair’s views weren’t very aligned, but this wouldn’t be a mission to really strain their beginning master and apprentice relationship.

 

[Kyyrk]

​

H U N T​

Voph sighed quietly as he donned his helmet. It had taken quite some digging to get this far. And still he felt they hadn't come far enough. What he brought with him was hardly an invasion force. No. Just a simple strike team. Some of the...more dedicated among them. As Voph strode out from the spaceport of Kala'uun, he mentally checked his gear. With any luck, the slavers worked alone. If they weren't lucky? The entire planet was about to turn on them. But he took solace in one fact: Vureshakkairn was close by. The Knights Obsidian had arguably the most powerful stronghold in the galaxy to fall back to. Voph had yet to visit the castle in person, but he'd heard stories about the defenses that the Mandragora had placed around their castle. Each and every item served as a reason Voph was loath to pick a fight with Vytal Noctura . Maker willing, he'd never have to.​

​

Darcy chirped in his ear, feeding him a stream of information. Guard patrol patterns, current security strength, and most importantly, the locations of the nearest arenas. The main arena that the Confederacy used for executions was still on Geonosis. But it wasn't the only arena. Not by a long shot. Rylan Kordel interrupted his thoughts, informing him that a base of operations had been established. Voph wasn't intimately familiar with the man that had replaced him as Lord Vizier, but the man had been chosen for that position for a reason. Voph had every faith that Rylan would have his back. "Well done, Lord Kordel. If we require additional assets, they will be sent to your landing zone. If you are compromised, fall back to the castle."​

​

The Castle was too far removed from the city to be of any use as a landing zone. Only in case of emergency. If they needed battle-ready reinforcements, the Knights Obsidian would land at Rylan's forward base. Voph moved through the streets of Kala'uun towards the main arena. He suspected an event such as this, with multiple corporate backers, would be held in the main arena. Voph reached across and adjusted the gauntlet resting on his right arm as he walked, turning to look over his shoulder as he did so. As he neared the shadows of a nearby building, he seemed to melt into the waiting darkness. The men that had tipped them off about this meeting had seen him, had seen his armor. He didn't want to risk someone spotting him. He spoke once more into his com. "Knights, prepare yourselves. Check your targets. If you start a fight, you had best be sure they truly are the enemy. Remember, we are here to cut away the sickness, not to kill the patient."​

​

Tags: Vytal Noctura | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Xobos Yakieer | @Knights Obsidian | @Mandragora​

 

[Garza]

Ryloth was one of the many worlds under the Confederacy. A planet which was claimed as the Capitol, or the Home Base that so many of my Mothers friends called home. Which is why I was here. The Mandragora were very unique in their teachings. Mostly due to my slowly gained sentience. It had been discovered that while I may be gaining thoughts on a level comparable to that of many other Galactic Standards, I still could not quite... voice them. Literally, I had no physical way to voice my thoughts to them. Should I open my mouth, attempt to speak or "talk" as they told me to do, I could shatter windows, and crack permacrete. The vibrations from my roar with so high of a decibel, any who happened to stand near me would be hit with a wave of sound not unlike a Tsunami of vibrations.

It was here, with the Mandragora that I have been learning. They were known, as well as other Witch covens, to be rather inclined to the creature persuasion. Able to not just commune with the nature spirits of whatever creature, but also in some cases, transform into them. Which surprised me. Could I learn to be smaller? If so, then maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be so difficult for me to travel. Requiring massive ships and vessels in which for me to move. I would have to be lifted by equipment so that my footsteps wouldn't destroy landmarks and the like.

A turn of phrase they used for me, was a Bull in a China shop. Not that I knew what a Bull or China was, but I had been explained that china was very fragile cutlery and plates, and such, where a bull when set loose, could damage or destroy it all. So my biggest task? Was to try and learn these ways.

Resting my snout upon the ground so that the instructors could easily see my face, as well as see what they were doing in the first place, They tried explaining how to draw from the force, but with my mind. They wanted to teach me something of Telepathy. A form of this magic they called the force in which could allow me to speak.

In the past, I was told to have done this before, but in passing. Almost without intending too. And sometimes, when I did it to someone who was not able to comprehend it, would cause massive headaches and even made a lady black out. Which I tried to put on my best sad face for her to show it was unintentional.

"You need to focus Garza. Don't stare right at my head. Close your eyes, and envision my mind. Try to feel me, sense me."

My giant eyes rolled as though they were telling me nonsense. My eyes were massive compared to them. How could they know if I was staring at them or was just looking right at them? My eyes closed afterwords. Trying my hardest to reach into her mind. Feeling the force around her and through her. I then gave it a shot.

"Ca- Yo- --ar me?"
"Almost there Garza come on I know you can."
"I am sorry to interrupt, but the Mandragora have been called by the Knights."
"Oh what for?"
"Scouting."
"Underground shady stuff?"
"Sadly."

I knew my teaching would end here, but maybe, just maybe I could help. Lifting my head to look at the new person who entered, my teacher then turned around and pointed a finger at me. Shaking her head. I was not to move.

For now.

Kyyrk Vytal Noctura Rylan Kordel Uxagi Xatash Xobos Yakieer

 

[Asher Mossa]

Location: Raven's Point
Wearing: xxx
Tag: Vytal Noctura | Garza | Kyyrk | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash

The Nightmother's call had been heard all the way to Raven's Point. Rumors of a fighting ring developing right under their noses had reached her ears as well as those of the Obsidian Council. The fact such a thing could happen on Ryloth was disturbing enough, let alone the idea that there were those being forced into servitude and fighting against their will. It was a shame, a travesty, and evil, which if true, needed to be eradicated.​

​

Lylek still spoke to him in his dreams, whispers of his betrayal for allowing the Great Father, to influence him as well. Asher lived in two worlds, and as the spirit, and the words of the Nightmother in his mind, pulled him from his sleep Asher stirred, reaching for the warmth of his lover and partner. Alvida Osulf had been the one to help him find his past. The life he had lived until meeting her had seemed pointless in many ways. It was the All Father who showed him differently, and Alvida had been his vessel. They were one in body and soul, destined for a single purpose.​

​

Asher kissed the woman just behind her ear as he gently woke her.​

​

"The nightmother calls, Lylek beckons."​

​

He tossed the furs aside, exposing his bare flesh to the elements of the day. It was cold at first, though Asher was quick to get dressed. His attire was nothing out of the ordinary, enough to protect him from the basic elements of the planet. The scars on his shoulder and upper arm which marked him as belonging to Lylek were covered as it seemed this misson was one they were not supposed to draw attention to. Morrok was going to make that difficult, but then again, Asher was usually seen taking the beast from Raven's Point to nearby villages when he needed to shop for supplies. The library was his home when he was on Ryloth, and while he hated pulling Alvida away from hers, this was a small part of what the All Father wanted from them.​

​

"Morrok is waiting, she-wolf," he said to the blonde as she pulled herself out of the bed. "Come to us when you are ready, you may need your weapon."​

​

Asher still carried his lightsaber. The tool was a weapon which reminded him of the past life he had lived. Many people died as a result of being near him, a bride and child included. Today others would die because of him as well, though they would not be innocent. The days of Asher being the cause of innocents dying were behind him. Today was a day of justice, and as Morrok took to the air with his passengers saddled in, Asher reminded himself of the task ahead of them. The two would fight as one, bringing the recompense due to those who would defy the sanctity of life.​

 

[Solana Arasne]

Location: Ryloth - Twi'lek village
Weapon: Bo Staff (image to come)
Tags: | Vytal Noctura | Mandragora | Knights Obsidian

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To say that this was an interesting first week among this coven of fellow witches was a vast understatement. When Solana had sought to reach out and find others like herself, she never would have expected to come across such a collection of individuals. All of the different things that they could do, the bonds that they shared - in whatever raw form those bonds may be - and just the whole vibe of the gathering had not been what Sol had expected in the least. Yes, she had wholeheartedly expected some collection of power hungry women who didn't honestly know the first thing about being a coven. But, that was not the case at all, and honestly? It was quite a welcome surprise.

She had yet to really get to know any one person individually, but she had at least gotten past things like 'Hey blondie', or 'You there, with the skin!' Not that she felt badly for those things, but people tend to respond better when you know their names...or at least attempt to remember their names, which was the stage Solana was at with the sisters she was around day after day now. So when she had been informed that there was going to be a trip out to the Twi'lek village? Sol couldn't get out the door fast enough.

Yes, this had been what she had asked for, but with her predatory nature? It was so damn hard to behave! ...A fact that was also made difficult by the inhabitants of the village as Sol wandered about it with the Nightmother. It was torture sometimes, not being able to act on impulse, but then the large alien would remember that this is where she wanted - maybe even needed to be, and that usually helped quell her innermost nature.

So for now, she walked quiet, which did not help with her menacing nature all that much. She tried to keep a pleasant air about her for the sake of the locals, but really who was she trying to fool? "I think perhaps I just made that woman pass out when we rounded the corner..." Sol let out to the Nightmother, half attempting humor though it may have very well been true.

 

[Alvida Osulf]

It was unwise to disturb a wolf while it slept.

But for one soul, the saying had never been more inaccurate. As Asher’s warm breath and tender kisses dragged her unwillingly from sleep, prickling every hair on her body, Alvida couldn’t have cared less. Grumbling something unintelligible, she stretched and rolled until her face was buried in the darkness offered by her pillow. Neither she nor the wolf was awake enough to fully comprehend what Asher had said yet, but they still obeyed his call to wake. Not many could claim that they had tamed such a wild and unpredictable beast, but Asher could.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she did her best to comb through the unruly blonde curls. Alvida was less willing to submit to the cold than Asher was, but she still made the effort to show she was trying to rouse herself. “Mm.” Her sleepy tone finally answered in response to Asher as she coaxed her feet into bracing the chill of the floor. “I will not be long behind, saetur einn.” It had only taken a moment for her to finally rise, but by the time she had laced up her last bit of armour Asher was already on his way to meet Morrok. After securing Blod and Bein to her hips, she turned to follow in his footsteps.

Now much more awake, Alvida had pieced together what her tired mind had failed to retain. Lylek beckons. There wasn’t much that Asher said that Alvida disliked, but that word was one of them. Lylek. She still struggled to understand what it meant to him. Even more so since their trip to the tree, to visit Fadirin. He had seen the same things she had, heard the power and mystery of his voice, felt the weight of the task they were both blessed with. It was a little more than offensive, to both Alvida and her gods, that he still chose to follow this Lylek. They’d had the argument many times.

In the end, however, they were tied to each other. Alvida was a firm believer in fate. Every step that they had taken had led to their meeting, including the spirits that had scared his body for life. Alvida was slowly working on accepting it. That was half the reason she had even agreed to come to Ryloth. In an attempt to understand.

By the time she joined Asher at Morrok’s side, she felt a little more at ease with the task ahead. “What does it want of us?” She practically had to shout the question into the wind as Morrok took to the skies.

Asher Mossa | Solana Arasne | Garza | Vytal Noctura | Rylan Kordel | Kyyrk | Uxagi Xatash | Xobos Yakieer ​

 

[Asher Mossa]

Location: Raven's Point
Wearing: xxx
Tag: Vytal Noctura | Garza | @Voph| Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Solana Arasne | Alvida Osulf

Her disdain for Lylek was well known, and yet despite Asher's experience with Fadirin, Lylek still spoke to him. It was an odd thing to be a man that lived in two worlds, and he hated the fact it was a point of contention between them. Asher wished to be free, but Asher was the only one who remained. As others abandoned the spirit, its voice only grew louder inside Asher's mind. Yet, Alvida had to know that he was loyal to his people, his kind. The Great Tree had made everything known to Asher, even things Alvida would still discover. It had shown her things Asher had yet to know. Theirs would be a journey of learning what the other knew as time moved on.​

​

Asher did his best not to speak of it, any of it, but today the pull was strong.​

​

"I do not know yet. Something is amiss here. His voice may be louder, but his tongue grows more foreign with each day that passes since we were blessed by Fardirin."​

​

The words did not come until Morrok was well into the air. Wind and air rushed as he lifted off making almost all other sound indiscernible. Once his massive body came to a steady glide, the two would be able to speak. A smile pulled at Asher's lips as he realized this was the first time Alvida had ridden the beast. From the moment she had met Morrok, and allowed the winged creature to take in her scent, she had wanted to ride it. There were those who would say that Asher had tamed the wolf within the blonde, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Asher simply had embraced her for who and what she was. Alvida was no less wild and free than the day they had met, he was simply allowed what others were not.​

​

Ryloth was different from the sky. The jagged rocks seemed less so somehow, and the forested side of the planet appeared even darker. Morrok traveled at a speed which made the world blur, and yet one could still make out certain details. The air was fresh, not full of the dust or the spice which permeated every breath. It was much more like their home from the sky.​

​

"I miss it... whenever we have to leave," Asher admitted to the she-wolf before Morrok made his descent.​

​

The village was quaint and unsuspecting. Still there was something that did not sit right with Asher. He could feel the Nightmother's presence somewhere, and his mind reached out to Vytal Noctura to let her know that he had arrived with Alvida as well. He would wait for her instructions before doing anything rash. This was his element, stealth and shadow.​

​

"Blend in... for now."​

 

[Beric Layne]

R Y L O T H
Millu Lee | Uxagi Xatash | Vytal Noctura | Rylan Kordel | Xobos Yakieer | Kyyrk | Garza | Asher Mossa | Solana Arasne | Alvida Osulf
​

Beric's flight to Ryloth had to have been one of the first times that the Lord of Frosthall had traveled in a starship and it hadn't crashed. As he walked through the small Twi'lek village, he counted that as a stroke of good luck; an omen for this upcoming mission. The Knights of Obsidian had received intelligence that indicated an underground slave trade operating in the historic Confederacy planet. One of the most serious crimes that could be committed, that of Slavery, was being conducted right under the Confederacy's nose. That was unacceptable.

Beric strode through the village accompanied by the girl that he'd rescued from her snowy crash site on Vandor -- Millu Lee, her name was. After discovering her potency in the Force, Beric had sent the girl to the Knights Obsidian, and it looked like some good had come out of it; Millu now accompanied Beric as a Squire. As Beric walked through the village, he tried to keep himself as inconspicuous as possible, but he and Millu were one of the few non-Twi'lek, making it harder than it would be otherwise. Nevertheless, he had flung the cowl of his fur cloak to conceal his face partially, giving himself a small amount of anonymity.

"Pay attention to your surroundings, Millu," Beric said as they walked. "Often-times, an encounter is won by the one who can notice the smallest of details."

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Tag: Kyyrk | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Xobos Yakieer | Garza | Asher Mossa | Solana Arasne | Alvida Osulf | Beric Layne | Knights Obsidian (Open) | Mandragora (Open)

Vytal looked over at Solana Arasne as they walked. The woman young with power was well received by the pale Witch. A hunter. Strong, fierce, and bold. What would a Nightsister find displeasing in that? True, she was not of their blood, but their ways were not one merely of blood. The power of the Sisters went far beyond the confines or nature of the physical world. It was difficult, but outsiders could join their number -- if they had the spirit for it.

Not that Solana sought to become a Nightsister. Communing with her Sisters and Brothers of the Mandragora, sharing and receiving their knowledge was more than enough. There were few rules, but those they had were strictly enforced. A family did not turn on itself, but it could correct where necessary.

"Then you can commune with the spirits and wish her a swift recovery," the Nightmother responded calmly. Hopefully a woman had not fainted at Solana's appearance -- or her own -- but if all she did was faint then they would be safe. The Spirits of Ryloth would see to it. As they would see to the Witches of Ryloth setting upon a blight that festered on their world.

A sense of another high above washed over her thoughts in that moment. Asher? It was not often they had a chance to meet together. He seemed to be dealing with spiritual matters of his own; ones Vytal would help with whenever he saw fit. She knew well the difficulty of the turbulent path he walked; though the Nightmother might have the benefit of the spirits' patience sufferance as she was pulled in every direction by them. One did not ask a Nightsister to abandon the Fanged God -- especially given her personal spiritual encounters on the matter.

Find the arena. Seek those of battle and blood, the Nightmother paused in the street to send mentally to Asher Mossa . Asher, Morrok, and Alvida held a vantage few others did in that moment. Senses even drones or vessels high above lacked. Every tool and means at their disposal would be used to root out those conducting these bloodsports; and once found they would be dealt with.

"Solana," Vytal said as she resumed her trek through the streets, "what are your thoughts of these creatures that pit captives against one another for sport?" Neither of them would likely have much personal experience running such a despicable display of depravity, but as a hunter she might have thoughts. Perhaps even ideas on how to find such scum. Where, after all, would you place such an arena? How would you cage such captives? A prey by any other name, and hunters -- even if the kind too terrified to do battle themselves -- of the worst kind.

 

[Alvida Osulf]

Alvida wrapped her arms around his middle to give him a gentle squeeze. She c ould hear the pain in his tone, even if he did hist best to quell it. Part of her felt guilty for not being able to grasp his dedication to the mysterious and unexplainable spirits. She would essuage it later on, when they returned home again, but for now all she could do was offer him a poor immitation of comfort. "He has his reasons, for everything. Even if it does not feel like he has your best interests in mind to begin with."

Her hands squeezed his middle again as she set her chin onto his shoulder. "He will have his reasons for this too."

Now that they were up higher in the air, it was calmer. It was both Alvida and the wolf's first ride on a dragon, and so far she loved every minute of it. It was remarkably like the moment she had first flown her sky ship. The freedom of it was uncomparable to anything else she had ever known before, but Morrok was a close match. Instead of being sheltered by a thick window, Alvida could feel the breeze in her hair. She could taste the fresh, thin air in her lungs. This was true freedom.

Her hand reached down to stroke the prickly scales on Morrok's back. At first, neither the dragon nor the wolf had been fond of each other. The wolf had howled and whimpered the moment it laid eyes on the great beast. Neither had the guts to approach the other. Alvida, on the other hand, had been fascinated by it. Dragons were from tales of old, from before the skinwalkers had even appeared, back when the Gods walked Skogur Heim on two legs. It had taken a few days, but both animals had finally warmed up to each other.

Asher spoke again, and Alvida tilted her head like a curious pup. "That means it is becoming home. Not just here..." She tapped his head with a slightly too sharp finger nail. "But here too." Her hand wrapped around his middle and her palm laid flat against his chest, where she could feel the steady beat of his heart. "It makes me happy to see."

Morrok finally landed, giving Alvida and Asher another ride in a wind tunnel before settling onto the dusty earth below. Alvida slipped from the dragons back, a little worse for wear perhaps, but invigorated by her short flight through the skies. "Blend in! Got it!" She grinned at Asher and skipped on ahead, as wild and free as the day she met him. "Wait!" Asher called back from the side of his dragon, causing Alvida to stop dead in her tracks. "I know what we're looking for. A slaver ring."

Alvida frowned, until her brows knitted in the center and her mouth grew small. Skogur Heim mimmicked the Confederate views on slavery, and the realisation of what they were looking for was a sour pill to swallow. "Then we do not have to look far." The she-wolf stuck her nose into the air and took a deep, lung rattling breath. "I can smell them." Her feet shuffled, turning her in slow purposeful circles as the edges of her nostrils twitched. "The sweat, and the blood, and the pain. I can smell it all."

She stopped suddenly, eyes pointing dead ahead. "They are that way."

Asher Mossa | Kyyrk | Vytal Noctura | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Xobos Yakieer | Solana Arasne | Beric Layne ​

 

[Asher Mossa]

Location: Raven's Point
Wearing: xxx
Tag: @Vytal Noctura| Garza | Kyyrk | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Solana Arasne | Alvida Osulf | Beric Layne

It was the blood she smelled. Nothing cried out from the ground louder than that of innocent blood. He knew it all too well. Asher had seen his fair share of innocents die, and it pained him to think his life had been the cause of it. Nothing was worse than that of the death of his own child. There would be no moment in his life that would ever be able to compare. Nothing could compare to the loss of a child, to a father outliving their only flesh and blood. It was a subject which still pained Asher, one he and Alvida avoided. She knew, and yet did not push. It was one of many reasons he found love in his heart for her.​

​

Asher began to move toward Morrok as Alvida moved off toward the ring. If he could see it from the air, or at least follow her, they would have the element of surprise. His mind pressed into hers.​

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"Do not attack without me or the others. We need to confirm who is behind this."​

​

There were rumors, but rumors were simply just that. Without evidence they could not prove who had moved into their space, into Confederate territory and moved to oppress Ryloth once more. It was a free planet, and had been since the day they became a charter world of the CIS. As with any world, slavery had been eradicated, the citizens were free, they were even represented by one of their own in the Viceroyalty. For the first time since anyone could recall, Ryloth was truly free. It was the Confederacy's responsibility to help them keep it that way.​

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Asher sighed as the dragon took to the sky once more. He hated the idea of being separate from Alvida for the moment, but they were a team. He would see from the air what she could not from the ground, and she would scent what he was not capable of tracking on his own. The ring was not far, and he would arrive before she would, however, a dragon in the sky was not uncommon. Asher would not be seen from the ground, but the shadow Morrok cast over the ring below was nothing compared to the death Asher would deal to the guilty.​

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His mind reached out to Vytal Noctura .​

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"We have found them. Send word to the rest to focus on my location. Alvida is waiting."​

 

[Millu Lee]

Millu was walking beside her master in what was her first official mission as a squire for the Knights Obsidian. Roughly two weeks ago she had been in another mission, but as a stowaway- she was not supposed to be there. And well, that whole thing had been a mess and quite surely, this actual mission would probably go much much better.

There was supposedly slavery happening underground in Ryloth, and Millu felt disgusted by the mere idea that there were people suffering such torture as being deprived of their freedom right now, in the very planet she was standing on. We won't let that continue! The slaves will be freed and these bad people will be dealt with!

The girl was pulled out of her musings by Beric's words of advice, and she nodded to the man beside her. "I will try to. What exactly is our plan of action though?" - She asked, intrigued.

Beric Layne

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Tag: Kyyrk | Rylan Kordel | Uxagi Xatash | Xobos Yakieer | Garza | Asher Mossa | Solana Arasne | Alvida Osulf | Beric Layne | Millu Lee | Knights Obsidian (Open) | Mandragora (Open)

The Nightmother stopped in the town as Asher's thoughts came back to her. "I would have preferred very much these had been nothing but rumors," the pale woman said quietly to no one in particular. Echoes of a time when the Twi'lek suffered under the galactic community's neglect. That, however, was the problem with an echo. Sometimes, with the right equipment, you could boost it loud enough to be heard once more from far and wide.

Acknowledged, and thank you, the Witch replied telepathically to Asher.

Well, the Knights Obsidian, and the Mandragora that lived among the Twi'lek, would not stand by and allow years of hard work be stripped away. They were people, and deserved the right of self-government and freedom they chose. It was not forced upon them. And precious few cultures would ever willingly vote to enslaves themselves again -- perhaps that angered some, and disappointed others. Let them remain upset. So long as the Confederacy stood the Twi'lek would remain free.

Vytal touched her commlink to open a channel to Voph, the Lord Commander of the Knights Obsidian, "Vytal, Voph. Asher has located the ring." A few quick taps on a bracer yielded the coordinates. "I am sending the location to you now. Alvida is on the ground awaiting our arrival." It was a secured channel, as any official frequency was.

"We can always hope they surrender," the Nightmother added for Solana's benefit, "but they will not. The safety of any hostages or bystanders is the focus of this endeavor. And if possible, take their leader alive." Whether the slavers lived or died was in the hands of whatever gods they believed in. As for Vytal, the Fanged God would happily embrace them in death. Lylek, Jart, and Doashim would also understand -- the safety and well-being of the Twi'lek sustained Ryloth, and the Great Spirits that called it home.

 

[Rylan Kordel]

Equipment: Cross Guard Lightsaber (Plasma Blue Blade) | Wrist Blade | Pair of Axes
Armor: n/a
Locations: Freshly landed on Ryloth, establishing a base camp
Tags: Kyyrk | Vytal Noctura | Asher Mossa | Alvida Osulf | Beric Layne | Millu Lee | Garza | Solana Arasne | Knights Obsidian (open) | Mandragora (open)

"Copy that Lord Commander, happy hunting." Rylan responded in kind to his orders, looking around the temporary forward establishment, then looking at the few knights he had on hand as a sort of impromptu staff, to which he waved off to do their duties with setting up the camp, the force sent a tingle up his spine, while it had been many years since he was on Ryloth, it always seemed to be a blood bath when he came to this planet. With a sigh, he dropped his axes on the table in the command tent, with the tapping of a few buttons, a holomap appeared of the land, and he started to formulate plans, preparing for the worst, "You should never fight a land war on Ryloth..." he whispered to himself, words his former master told him once long ago.

Time passed, but he was unsure of how much or how slowly, but he did have to reach up and rub the bridge of his nose, the waiting was a war all it's own, and it made the air feel all that tenser, the first shots hadn't been fired yet, he could tell, but something big was building up, you had to be completely numb not to feel the anticipation. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a grunt and reviewed the maps again, planning the route for a fallback to the citadel, but also for a push forward, into the capital if the need arose.