Lost, Unbound, a Purpose Found - Mandragora

[Kasca Fen]

It was as if she had been rebuffed by the wind so much that it's absence caused prickling across her skin. Amid strange sensations, she heard the excitment coming from somewhere very near and looked up to see Scherezade crouching beside her with a massive grin on her face. Her pale eyes searched the area, noting the difference between the pebble beach and the cave. The Jart was gone as was the Grimoire. The voices from within remained silent, an echo of the loss of the beckoning song. Slowly she was coming back to herself and she had to laugh breathily at her companion's questions; rapid fire and across several subjects at once.

Kasca sat back on her calves and reached down for the bottom hem of her tunic. Slowly, almost if scared it had only been a dream, she pulled it up her left side baring a beautiful bird tattoo in black and shades of blue. "I saw a massive bird on a pebble strewn beach. It..." somehow the name came to her, "The Jart gave me this." She had to assume she was accepted. It felt like she was home but it wasn't a physical thing.

She grinned at her friend. "What do I do from here?" She asked in wonder.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade waited patiently while Kasca came completely back to herself. It was a test of willpower and patience, two things the young Sithling usually lacked. But she knew the importance of it, knew how the next few moments could determine whether the entry to the Mandragora - the full entry, not just the claiming part - would set the mod and atmosphere down for the young woman for the months to come, if not longer. So she was on her best behavior.

When Kasca began to describe what she'd seen, Scherezade knew instantly that she was a Jart sister. The grin on Scherezade's face stretched from ear to ear. Maybe... Maybe if Kasca was a Jart and Kasca didn't dislike her like the rest of the Mandragora did, she would finally have someone else within the Mandragora that she could actually talk to from time to time. She wasn't really hoping for a friend though. Some orders were too damn tall.

She almost showed Kasca her own tattoo, when she realized it was a better idea not to. Her own mark decorated her back, but her own mark had been hit by Force Lightning when she'd tried to kill Darth Metus, severing her direct connection to the spirit. She could still work spells, she could still perform the gifts that came from being a Chosen of Jart, but... That was more or less it. Even with the spirit mark on her own body, she was as alone as she'd always been.

Next came the question of where Kasca would go from there. Scherezade grinned again.

"There are different philosophies for the Force and its control," she said, "Sith draw on the Darkside, Jedi on the Lighside, but there's so much more to it than just these two dichotomous religious views of it. The Witches control the Force by bending it to their will with word. Until recently, the words were always in Paecan, which is the language on Dathomir. But then it was discovered that it works in Galactic Basic too, which goes to show you that it's more about shaping your control than it is about uttering this or other silly sound."

She paused, taking a breath, realizing now that she had said that entire thing without a pause.

"So... I'm going to let you decide what your first spell is," she almost bounced, "What are you more drawn to? I can teach you a spell of fire, a spell of mist, and a spell of night-sight. I can teach you other spells too, but one of those three would have to be the first, since the others I know are meant to compliment them."

[member="Kasca Fen"]

 

[Kasca Fen]

Kasca was utterly fascinated. She liked the idea that the Mandragora weren't like the Jedi or the Sith. It wasn't good or evil but Will and Word. She grinned and let her tunic fall back over her tattoo. Even though it had only recently been placed there, it felt as though it had been there for many years. It was no different in feeling than the pale skin that enshrouded her body yet it was an unmistakable mark in her mind that she was something more.

"Control comes easily to me. Always has." Kasca could remember many times when her keenly disciplined mind meant that she grasped concepts better than other Padawans. It quickly engendered jealousy among the other students and separated her in a non-physical way from them. She had not minded terribly at the time, finding jealousy to be a petty emotion and a complete waste of ones time and mental faculties.

Sitting down on the dias, she thought about which she would prefer to start with. Each option would be helpful in its own way. Fire was a great offensive power. Mist was a great defensive power. Night Sight was a great way to enhance one's cognizance of one's surroundings. All could give her an edge in some way and Kasca was always looking for an advantage. The voices in her mind whispered a great many suggestions, but she ignored them. They were not overwhelming in their chorus for this so she could.

"Let's start with Night Sight. That way I am better equipped in emergencies than mundanes."

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade could have jumped for joy at the mention of Night Sight. "This is gonna be so awesome!" she explained why she was... Almost bursting out of her own skin, "okay, so, there's variations to every spell, different Clans using different words... Night Sight is one that I wrote the words for. I wasn't taught any other variation for it, but I learned it while the Nightmother taught me how to write spells."

Sitting down comfortable, she folded her knees.

"The first part of a spell is memorizing it. This is an absolute must for the basic ones, they rarely work if you just read them. Reading incantations and such is more advanced, it's not for today."

Giving a little cough, Scherezade gave Kasca the words she had crafted herself a mere two weeks ago; "'Give me a sound and give me the night, let me see it all tonight.' Those are the words. I'll repeat them as many times as needed, but you need to get them exactly right. The way I wrote this spell is that you hear a little ding sound when it goes into effect, and after that all the dark bits around you that you see but not really because there's no light, become visible. For me it was in shades of pinks and purples and blues. Once you have it memorized, you get five attempts to cast it. Succeed, and you have passed your Trial by Fire. Fail, and we'll have to figure something else out. So really, take your time. Be ready."

[member="Kasca Fen"]

 

[Kasca Fen]

Scherezade's enthusiasm and excitement was infectious. Kasca could feel herself growing so excited she wanted to shout out at the world in triumph and wonder. It was far more excitement than she had had in a long time. She had probably not been this excited since her parents sent her off to join the Jedi Order and she watched both them and her insane brother remain on Arcania as she was transported further and further away from them until they were nothing. She had nearly burst with happiness and gratitude and excitement about the coming possibilities. She eventually found that her excitment about joining the Jedi Order was short lived, but she was still far away from her parents and more importantly, her brother.

She listened carefully to every word her companion said, taking in the breadth and meaning of it in so far as she could understand. To herself, she thought, "Give me a sound and give me the night, let me see it all tonight." and then in an effort to memorize, she repeated it over and over in her mind. Kasca took her time. Now was not the time for arrogance. She needed to pass this test... this trial by fire. It was perhaps the most important thing she has ever done in her life... at least up until this point.

Five attempts sounded like a lot if one thought that only the words mattered, but like all things in the Force, there was concentration and intent involved. This could be harder than she might expect, but she wasn't about to give up. Kasca looked around the dark cave. So much of it was hidden in shadow. It would be easy to tell when the spell worked in here. She gave Scherezade a nervous smile and then closed her eyes repeating the words in her mind but mouthing them, getting her mouth used to the idea of the words in this order.

Finally, she stretched herself out with the Force and said the words, "Give me a sound and give me the night, let me see it all tonight."

... no ding happened.

You see... She does not. She is not.

Failed the test. Failed this life. Leave in shame. Cast your head down... you are nothing here. ​

Not even able to do a simple spell. Woe is the world.​

​

​

Instead a cascade of voices rang through her mind speaking every sort of self sabotaging, self confidence destroying, scathing thing. She said the words a second time, but she was scattered and unprepared. No ding once more. Laughter rang forth in her mind, the sneering judgement ever present.

Lost. Forgotten. You will be left here in your shame.

Unwanted. Unintelligent. Unwise. ​

Life will go on without you. You are not worthy. ​

She shook her head in an effort to quell them. Now was not the time to listen to her voices. Two attempts down and only three more available to her. Mentally she blasted the voices. She was not theirs to control. They were a useless cacophony and they were no more important than the noise of a fly near one's ear. She took a deep breath and tried again, reaching out to the Force. Before the words were allowed to come to her mouth, she wanted the focus to be there. Her Will was strong, her mind disciplined. She could and would do this. This time when she said the words, there was a shape to her concentration and hold upon the Force. She willed the night to heed her words. She willed the shadows to dissipate and the darkness to illuminate for her eyes. Her voice rang clear, solid and surprisingly commanding. "Give me a sound and give me the night, let me see it all tonight."

This time... the ding was loud and clear. It was refreshing and only silence in her mind greeted her at this accomplishment. Around her, the night was still present, but the shadows were less... milder, allowing her to see every corner, crevasse and nook in the cave. She grinned like an idiot, almost deliriously happy that she had succeeded.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade didn't need the Force to know that Kasca had succeeded. The expressions on her face said it all. Scherezade's face beamed as well as she realized that not only had a girl she'd brought into the Mandragora succeeded in both claiming and a spell, but that it was her spell, the one that she had written. As far as she knew, the Nightmother had never made use of it, and none other even knew about it.

The taste of success was strange in her mouth. She was always the girl that failed, that pissed someone off, that did the wrong thing. But this... This was a victory, for both young women in this cave, each for a different reason, yet both reasons were so heavily linked now.

"There will be no more tests like that for other spells," she said, grinning from ear to ear, "with the rest of the spells you'll learn, you could take one attempt or a hundred, and it won't matter. You've passed you Trial by Fire. By both laws of the Witches of Dathomir and the Mandragora of Ryloth, you are now a Witch. And within the Confederacy, you now belong to the Mandragora."

It felt so strange, saying such official words, though it felt... Almost regal? What a strange sensation. It didn't matter that she'd made that short speech on the right, it felt so right.

Scherezade forced herself off the ground. If Caska needed it, she'd help her, but she preferred not to cause physical contact otherwise. Personal space was still personal.

"The Spirits will let you know when the Mandragora are called," she said with a smile, "other than that. Hang around the Confederacy. Meet people. Make friends. Rapax isn't the only Shaman of the Jart. Find others, they will teach you and help you advance. Now come on, let's go find something to eat. You must be starving."


[member="Kasca Fen"]