First Reply Look at Your Life

[Vulpesen]

Location: Vitae Grove | Veradune
Loadout: Varos Cloak & Lightsaber
Objective: Clarity
Inspiration

Deep breath in.... deep breathe out... One breath after another. Vulpesen's brow furrowed as he channeled the force into himself, then out. Slowly, he let it pulse through him, the steady heartbeat of the galaxy. Meditation was not a foreign concept to him. It was, however, a rare occurrence for him. He was a man of action, the Valde who had achieved his rank at a record young age through fire and strife. He had been both a jedi and a sith and found them both lacking. He had grown from a simple merchants son to a leader of a planet, and perhaps some day, a leader of systems. His life was a constant run from one thing to another. A sprint from danger to danger. Once again, he was staring at those very winds of change. He had seen the wheel of time turn time and time again, enough to see when it would turn again. It was turning now.

Life would change again. Once more he would become someone else. Something else. What would it be? A conqueror? A failure? A champion? A diplomat? It was too early to tell. He had done so much, been so much, that he sometimes lost himself. He needed to slow down. So there he sat, in the center of his sect's grove. Like most wilder groves, the force had collected there as a small nexus. A perfect place to sit and reflect.

 

[Garo Vevut-Varkor]

​

The shaman walked calmly through the forest, accompanied by his canine basilisk. He followed the flow of local spirits, having left his people's region to explore other places of power.

He was without his helmet, his blond hair and green skin exposed, and despite his heavy armor, he walked silently, barely disturbing the grass. At his waist, in addition to his weapons, he also carried a shamanic drum with his clan's design and other symbols.

He stopped when he saw the other man meditating, hoping he had not disturbed him.

 

[Vulpesen]

Disturbed was not exactly the word that Vulpesen would have used. In tune with the forest as he was, every step that Garo took was as if he had stomped on the face of a mighty drum. As he neared, Vulpesen's golden eyes flashed open, blazing with light as they beheld the helmeted figure. The very sight of that armored spectator made his hand drift towards his lightsaber and a dozen growls sounded from various corners of the forest. Mechanical pet or no, the Mandalorian was severely outnumbered.

"Either you're the dumbest bucket head to walk the galaxy... or you have no idea where you are." His sardonic tone left no room for error. This was not a place that welcomed the Resol'nare. If there was a people that Vulpesen had fought as much as the sith, it was the Mandalorians. It didn't make him harbor the same hatred, not by a long shot, but he'd have needed to be blind to not notice the injustice and strife that their creed caused. "Considering I don't sense a desire to throw your life away, I'll assume the latter." Slowly he rose to his feet, and with a gesture, quieted the faceless growls from the forest. "So, what brings you to the wilds of Veradune? To the grove of the Vitae sect?"

Garo Vevut-Varkor

 

[Garo Vevut-Varkor]

​

The young man smiles.

"I really don't know where I am, I came here following the spirits."

He pauses for a few seconds to let his words sink in.

"I am a shaman among my people."

He says calmly and respectfully.

"I sometimes leave Mandalorian territory to visit other places of power."

His blue eyes scan the beautiful landscape.

"It's a beautiful place..."

He speaks with sincere admiration.

"My name is Garo Vevut-Varkor,"

the Mirialan says, while the canine basilisk makes something like an indignant sound.

"Oh, and this is Kayatr Ga'yusr. I think the translation would be Metal Ghost."

The metal dog makes a robotic noise like a normal satisfied dog, and the young man chuckles at the reaction.


Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"The spirits guided you into a doruvir cave," Vulpesen grumbled. Still, there was nothing to be done for it. Whatever his purpose, this metal man was not here maliciously and to even attempt to strike him down would be poor form, especially within the Vitae grove. "Vulpesen Torrevaso," the Wilder said, "Valde of Veradune and Archon of the Vitae Wilders. This grove belongs to that sect." His eyes turned to the metal beast beside the Mandalorian, giving it a quick appraisal. "You'll need to forgive my caution. Mandalorians and I don't exactly have a pleasant past. And if they don't get along with me, I wouldn't expect a warm welcome from anyone else on this planet."

Garo Vevut-Varkor

 

[Garo Vevut-Varkor]

​

"I understand, my people can be difficult, but considering the state of the Galaxy, conflicts happen all the time."

As a greater sign of peace, he removed the gauntlets from his armor and placed them on the basilica.

"But I am here to get to know the place, the local spirits, and if I may learn something about your philosophy, if it is not a problem."

He looks curious.

"My belief, Manda, is very simple, so if you want to talk about our beliefs, I would like that, if it is not offensive."

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"The commonality of aggression does not excuse it. My people are warriors as well, but our purposes couldn't be more different. We don't fight for conquest, but for the preservation of life and freedom." Vulpesen rose from the ground as a small pillar of mossy stone rose up from beneath him, forming a stool for him to rest on. "And while its not a part of the code, I suppose one of my core beliefs is that the search and sharing of knowledge is never offensive."

His tail flicked behind him as he raised a hand, causing another seat to rise form the earth for Garo Vevut-Varkor . "The Wilders aren't like the jedi or the sith. No centralized command or core belief beyond the desire to keep the wilds in balance. My own sect, the Vitae, believes in the preservation of life and a code of Life, Freedom, Unity."

 

[Garo Vevut-Varkor]

​

Garo sits listening and nods his head slightly as he listens.

"In my case, I hear the spirits, especially the spirits of the ancestors, so you could say that I have a responsibility to communicate between the living and those who have passed away. I also speak with the spirits of other beings."

He thinks for a moment.

"The shamanism of my people is not unified; we do not have a great shaman leader. So the code of a shaman is more personal. Your mentor can teach you, but our culture and our ancestors are also part of that code. A shaman is nothing without his people. Just listening to the spirits without mediating or not using the gifts that the spirits give you to help your people makes you anything but a shaman."

He frowns a little.

"I hope I haven't sounded confusing."

Vulpesen

 

[Vulpesen]

"Your shamans act much as our sects do, if on a smaller scale. We aren't organized like the sith or the jedi, following a single large banner. Each Wilder belongs to a sect. Sometimes a pair, sometimes into hundreds. My own has grown over the years, even if it is fairly young." As he spoke, a small canine head poked out from one of his pockets, the astral azure fur seeming to shimmer in the dappling sunlight as Ace locked eyes with the mechanical hound.

"Your people are attached to their traditions," he continued, a hand raising to pet the astral wolf's head. "Both in your secular lives, and in the force, it seems. Power means nothing without honor and ceremony. "Your beliefs as you've explained them don't confuse me. Its the fact that your people can never decide where slaughter ends and honor begins. I've known Mandalorians with strong morality who believed in helping others. I've also fought against tyrants in beskar who furthered their will by the edge of beskads and blasters.

Garo Vevut-Varkor

 

[Garo Vevut-Varkor]

He listened attentively until he saw the small animal, was distracted for a few seconds, and let out a very slight, low laugh.

"Yes, we Mandalorians have... a certain freedom to interpret honor, ethics, and morals. Not only different individuals but also different clans and families, so it can be quite strange for an outsider, and battles between clans happen, or may happen, depending on our situation."

He looks at the cute animal again.

"So yes, you can have a Mandalorian friend and at the same time an enemy, or a group of friends and a group of enemies."

Vulpesen