Public LOTS- Violence doesn't solve everything (Open to Sith)

[Arthos Vynea]

The class should have started ten minutes ago, and Arthos simply watched dispassionately as he waited for the Acolytes to began squirming. Some began to look at the doors, and others to lean over and speak in hushed voices as the minutes wasted away. He stood like an ant among them with his force presence so small inside of himself that even if they stumbled upon him visually he'd blend into the background with the other servants standing to the side. Moving his eyes up to the front though he looked at Ayvari Dorian who stood literally invisible at the front of the class.

Her force presence could still be stumbled over though as he had asked her to leave it out there to be seen. After all what use was a class about stealth and deception if the class didn't realize how multilayered such a thing really was. Finally as the first student began to break ranks Arthos walked forward letting his force presence extend as he did until the power was apparent to all. With hard eyes he glanced at the first to break. "You were not excused Acolyte. You would do well to remember that everything is a test in this place even the simple things."

With slow steps he walked to the front as he allowed his force sense to feel through the presences in the room. Finally he stood up front with Ayvari and nodded to her to reveal herself. "Violence is a coin of power, it is true. However it is only one of the coins of power, and at times a sign of weakness. One must know when to strike, and where at that. Some Sith will tell you to retreat is failure, but I will tell you to strike when you are weak makes you a fool."

Taking steps slowly around the room he watched them for ticks of the face and emotional changes. There were always the honorable warriors drawn to the Sith, and they had their purpose, but they also never lasted long. "The clever enemy strikes where you are weak, and withdraws where you are strong. They leave you chasing their strength until your strengths are subdued by their own or circumstances. Then when success is an absolute they strike. One cannot break chains by binding oneself with their own chains. Victory is everything. Look at Darth Sidious' successes. His greatest triumphs were not in combat, or even subverting the galaxy to his rule, but instead doing it from the inside using the very tools of his enemy."

Stopping in the center he looked about them, and waited a moment in silence. "Tell me, Acolytes, how did he do this? How did this one man destroy both the Jedi and the Republic from inside it's very heart?"

 

[Ayvari Dorian]

Ayvari was not a teacher.​

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Her strengths lay not in the classroom, but in the field. Subverting the will of their enemies, unearthing information not meant for the ears of the Sith, it did not matter how she achieved it. Though she favoured her vibroblade over subterfuge, she had honed the art of stealth while still a mere child, blending into the ranks of the Jedi and drawing from them all her Masters had sought to know.​

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She reveled in her earlier progress, she had been good at the role they'd bid her to play. Some among the ranks of the Sith had truly believed her belonging to the Light, and even in their wake she had not faltered. Upheld that masquerade until the great Lords bade her otherwise.​

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As she stood before the class, physically unseen yet still present within the Force, she wondered how many among them would find use in such methods. It was much less satisfying in the short term, that was for certain. Playing such a role took a certain kind of person, it required patience and finesse, a near-constant struggle to uphold ones façade without succumbing to it.​

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The Jedi spoke of the alluring nature of the Darkside, and it was true the corruption brought with it was far more tangible. But peace? Tranquility? They were lying to themselves if they tried to pretend that was not as intoxicating as the darkness was. There were times when to waver would have been easy, tempting as it was to succumb to their ways. But she hadn't.​

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It was not a quality she knew she could teach. It required inherent, intrinsic traits that could not truly be faked. As she came forth from the concealment she'd placed over herself, appearing to simply materialize right before them all, she pondered that fact. Looked between the gathered masses for any sign of one who could be built upon in such a way. To truly embody those ideals.​

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And she said nothing. Did not acknowledge the class, or the Lord teaching it. She simply stood, and mused, and waited to do as she was bid. Not because she beneath the man at her side, but because furthering his agenda furthered her own... They were one and the same now, after all.​

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Arthos Vynea ​

 

[First Sister]

Location: The Royal Academy of Korriban
Equipment: White Sith Robes │ Miniaturized Double-Bladed Spinning Lightsaber
Tags: Arthos Vynea Ayvari Dorian

Ten minutes.

Ten minutes of almost complete quiet saw the Sister waiting, perhaps impatiently, but still waiting as the minutes passed. In seeing all of the other Acolytes stay put, with the exception of one, she realized that this was a test, of which everyone else seemed to have figured out before her. Regardless, the Sister closed her eyes and projected her will into the Dark Side in an effort to find whatever it was the instructors had hidden. She had been trained in the art of Sense, but as an Acolyte, her skills were still raw and undeveloped. As such, it came as little surprise to her that she found exactly nothing, in spite of her best efforts.

Only moments later, the extent of her failure was uncovered when one of the “servants” at the side of the room spoke up, revealing himself to be the primary instructor of the class. As the man walked to the front of the room, another being materialized before her eyes, revealing her presence to the class and in the process, the extent of the deception the two instructors had placed over the Acolytes.

Frustrated as she was with her failure, the Sister nevertheless listened intently as the Zabrak spoke, emphasizing the same theme as Maliphant had done in her previous lightsaber training class of a calculating and cunning Sith, over that of a strong, but stupid Berserker. The focus on the strength of the individual over that of the collective was one of the most apparent differences between what she had learned with the New Sith on Malsheem versus what she was being taught at the Royal Academy of Korriban. For the Sister, it was a jarring, if not utterly abstruse contrast which she struggled to reckon with given her limited education. However, she was nothing if not determined to make sense of her new surroundings, though never at the cost of her faith in the true Sith’ari and his wise teachings.

For now, her focus lied solely on learning everything she could regarding the Force from the Sith at the Royal Academy. Thinking back to what she had studied of the ancient Darth Sidious on Malsheem, with a deep breath, the Qilin raised her hand, then spoke only after she was called upon by the instructor.

“He clouded his presence in the Force by immersing himself in the fabrics that the Jedi were familiar with and minimizing his Dark Side aura.” The Sister answered. “In a sense, maintaining an illusion, my Lord.”

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

"Trust," Velok rumbled from the back. "Most people are capable of trusting outside their immediate circle. Palpatine was credible, a colleague who'd cultivated all the right friends and smiled at all the right parties. And patience - decades of it. And swallowing his pride, limiting himself, being just another politician."

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He had stood in place for all of those ten minutes with nothing more than curiosity fueling him.​

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Perhaps he might have left, had he not been such a glutton for knowledge. If he did not hold the whims of his Master above his own, and fall into a perpetual state of trying to do the man proud. The boy he had been many moons ago was still locked away inside, after all. He owed everything to Maliphant, he would not disgrace him by showing impatience. By being disrespectful to his superiors.​

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So he waited. And he wondered when the one teaching would reveal themselves. He very much doubted they were late, after all. Most within this Academy were punctual, he'd discovered, they adhered to order even amidst the chaos of the darkside. Perhaps it was their way of clinging to power within themselves, one last stab at keeping the leaching grasp of Bogan at bay. Who knew.​

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His patience paid off. Most in the room actually seemed to remain in place too. Waiting, watching, fidgeting sure but still present. It wasn't until one of his peers made their way to the door that the Iridonian revealed himself. And soon thereafter a rather plain woman.​

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Hidden in plain sight. Wonderful... Just wonderful. One had congregated among the worker bees, the other stood before them unseen.​

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Starting as they meant to go on, no doubt.​

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As questions were asked Thesh remained silent among them and simply listened. He knew the answer, any who bothered to read about their forefathers knew the answer, but it was nice to hear how those views differed. What each took away from the acts of Sidious within the Republic. One attributed it almost entirely to Sidious' subterfuge. The other placed much of the blame, if one could even call it such, on those who were too trusting. Too lost in their own ways, their own problems, to see what stood just before them.​

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There were plenty of answers which could have been given, for it was never one piece which made a whole puzzle...​

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Arthos Vynea Velok Brokentusk First Sister ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

He listened and nodded to each answer in time, and smiled rather grimly at the end of Velok Brokentusk 's answer. "Well spoken both of you, and both true in parts. Yes he hid his force sensitivity but as much as he did the clouding of the dark side aided him. The Jedi even today do not like to admit that they were fooled because they had blinded themselves, and the force was unbalanced."

Taking another step he paused in front of the form of the Whipid and nodded at the depth of his thought. "Pride though? Pride is a pill most Sith never learn to swallow. We train to bath in our emotions, and let that power fuel us. We train to break chains and seek victory. To be humble though? When have you ever learned that lesson? When have you ever practiced the mundane? No, we're Sith Lords masters of the universe each individually, and that is where the path to ruin lies every single time for us."

Continuing onwards he moved to the front of the class again, and picked up a stone weighing it in his hand. "I attempted this feat once myself when I was but an Acolyte for my master. It was considered less dangerous as my power in the force had yet to ripen leaving much less of a dark presence on me in the first place. In my pride though I failed. Not to the Jedi, or even something as calming as Republic Intelligence. No, I fell to a damned Jawa who had decided to claim a bounty I didn't even know what placed."

Pausing he looked around the room knowing the insanity of such a thing, but it was true all the same. "In my pride I could not let this simple Jawa defeat me, and doing so further my mission. Instead I embraced what little power I had in the force and ignited my sabers for glorious combat. In that I failed my mission completely because I refused to be beaten by some crazed Jawa. We ruined my apartment and I was taken note of. Given a security detail which included a Jedi because of the havoc. Well, in that my failure was complete and my master withdrew me. A wise decision on her part."

Failure was another lesson the Sith failed to teach properly, each and everyone of them feared to fail expectations, and the punishment that followed. They were also taught a foolish amount of bravado in that power as they exceeded. "Darth Sidious waited for decades helping the problems become bigger while appearing to be everyone's friend. A sidelined politician until a sudden problem, a wound he'd helped to create on both sides. He found a weakness and kept that secret for years poisoning them from the inside. My lessons will not be on conquering either one on one combat or full battlefield tactics and strategy. They will be classes of thought and focus on the knowledge within the force that most simply ignore because they lack that passionate flash of glory. As such I will offer those of you who have no interest in such things the chance to leave now. Simply go, you will not be pursued or punished. Merely forgotten. For those who wish to stay though I offer you a first lesson, and perhaps the simplest of all of Darth Sidious strengths, the knowledge of how to hid his force presence inside of himself amongst the greatest Jedi of his time."

Giving the class a minute for those who wished to leave to leave he didn't bother noting their names or caring about them. They were as he promised simply forgotten, utterly forgotten. With what he had left though he waved in closer to him. "I will assume you all know how to sense a presence in the force, but for those of you who lack strength in this we can tutor privately after class. For those of you who do focus on me, and my essence now." With dramatic slowness he pulled his own force perception and presence inside of himself. Letting it flow down to smaller stages he gave them each time to feel it as it moved into near nothingness.

With a final thought he shut himself down to just a whisper of the force deep within himself as he appeared simply empty. Just another husk of sentience who didn't understand what true life was. "This art is a double edged sword, for those who push the force so deep within themselves unless they have utterly mastered the ability to sense have basically cut themselves off from it. In order to walk among his enemy Darth Sidious left himself exposed every single day to ensure his eventual victory. Now close your eyes, and focus on your own presence. Feel it's shape, it's size and even it's distinct nature. They are more unique then any strand of DNA has ever been. Now pull it within slowly until it becomes so small you feel lost to it, and you will feel lost for a moment."

He waited then checking each presence as he expected both failures and successes, but some of the hardest part for the more powerful would be putting that power aside again. Strength in the force was a great gift, but who would be willing to put that gift aside?

Velok Brokentusk First Sister Arcturus Dinn

((OOC: Terribly sorry about the length still getting back into this character))

 

[Ayvari Dorian]

Though Ayvari may not have ordinarily agreed with revealing so much about ones past, she knew that Empires had risen and fallen countless times since the days Arthos last walked this Galaxy, there was none of it which remained, nothing there to exploit. It served a good enough message to be sure, made the point he sought to prove without having to rely upon Emperors of old.​

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She knew all too well that which he spoke of. That patience, the long con. And she had known that Arthos had been privy to much of the same, though it wasn't until he spoke it now that she learned the depths of it. A senator?​

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Yes... Well her companion certainly liked to talk. She could see how he'd be well suited to such, even if it was a subverted role. Ayvari on the other hand, well... She preferred silence to the sound of her own voice.​

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As they were bid to shrink their presence in the Force, to do as Arthos had at the beginning of their session, Ayvari began to slowly pace between those who remained. Her footsteps were quiet enough that they would not be distracting, though they seemed a little off kilter with one another. Even now, back from the depths of the Nether, she walked with that same blasted cybernetic foot. No matter, it was barely noticeable in moments such as these.​

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She observed them still, remained silent still, and kept her eyes peeled for one among them who might have what it took.​

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If, indeed, any did.​

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Arthos Vynea Velok Brokentusk First Sister ​

 

[First Sister]

Location: The Royal Academy of Korriban
Equipment: White Sith Robes │ Miniaturized Double-Bladed Spinning Lightsaber
Tags: Arthos Vynea Ayvari Dorian Arcturus Dinn Velok Brokentusk

As an adherent to the Rule of Order and the Eternal Rule, it almost went without saying that pride was something that the First Sister rejected. In her view, the power of the individual could never outweigh that of the collective or that of the true Sith’ari, Darth Carnifex. Ultimately, true strength lied in unity and obedience. Pride, while powerful as a font of power to harness the Dark Side, was the harbinger of a fall. Indeed, it had been the fall of many ancient Sith empires, as it would be the fall of the Tenth Sith Empire, manifesting in the form of heretics and rebellion.

From there, the Sister listened intently as the instructor spoke on, revealing his defeat at the hands of a Jawa in such oddly specific detail that she could not help but to feel drawn in. Then, after speaking of Sidious, the Zabrak offered the chance for people to leave if the lesson was not to their taste.

Much to her surprise and shock, a few Acolytes actually did.

Even so, such emotions were kept to herself, tossed aside in favor of more primal and visceral passions which could be more effectively harnessed as a wellspring of Dark energy. In doing so, she extended her Sense out to find the presence of the instructor, holding her focus with intense effort as the man minimized his presence until he was nearly invisible in the tapestry of the Force. So small was his signature, that had she not been “tracking” his presence as it diminished, she would have been unable to perceive him entirely.

As expected, the instructor ordered the class to replicate what he had done. And so, the Sister drew her focus inward, locking onto her presence in the Force and willing it to disappear within herself until she could no longer feel its vibrations in the current...

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Velok spoke up as he did his best to mute and suppress his own Force presence, following Arthos' instructions. He'd attempted this before under his grandfather's tutelage, with middling and inconsistent success.

"There's another way," he said. "A weaker way, easier, but it stacks up well. My people call it scattering. The enemy can still feel your presence, but not its location. Doesn't limit your Force senses or skills. Instead of pulling in, you diffuse out."

He shifted tacks so his Force signature was detectable. Even though these folks were in the same room, to them he now felt like he was, oh, somewhere in the academy, in vague terms.

Arthos Vynea

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Thesh really wished he'd had his datapad handy right about now.​

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But he didn't, so he'd have to hope that his memory held up well enough to write down much of what he was learning that day. Both from the Zabrak and it would seem from the Whiphid too. Concealing, scattering, both seemed as though they would have their uses. To hide entirely, or to disorient and confuse one's adversaries.​

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Yes... Thesh could make good use of both.​

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But for now he did as the instructor bid. He focused as Arthos hid himself within the Force, shrinking down his presence to a fine point that would not be noticed unless one had already been focusing upon it. One of his fellow students was quick to give it a try herself, but Thesh took a moment. Pondered it out.​

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It wasn't something he'd ever attempted before, to alter the way his presence felt in the Force. Much less to shrink it down. He had felt the ways in which Arthos had achieved it, he could conceptualize it, but putting it into practise...​

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Well he supposed he wouldn't be able to if he never tried, now, would he?​

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So he closed his eyes, focusing upon his presence... and tried.​

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Arthos Vynea First Sister Velok Brokentusk ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

Watching as the class began the exercise he gave a sweeping eye over who jumped right into the exercise to various levels of failure and success. It wasn't a simple process, the most difficult process to it he found was allowing yourself to adjust your way of thinking about a force presence. That and as you succeeded you lost more and more sensation of things around you. No power, knowledge or strength was gained without sacrifice after all. Finding one who was getting the hand of it rather quickly First Sister he struck a quick whip at her thoughts to startle her into revealing herself.

As Velok Brokentusk spoke Arthos smiled pleased that the Whipid had spoken up. "Well said, Velok the Younger was it? I can see wisdom has run through the family line. I would disagree with weaker though, it's different true, but hardly weaker. Stand up front, you will aid in teaching the class this method. You however will focus on the art of the small, and containing your own force presence. Turning our weakness into strength is how you achieve greatness, and your family line is damned to greatness."

Pointing to one of the quieter Acolytes who yet to speak up he threw out a question. " Arcturus Dinn name a situation in which this scattering would be of greater aid then art of the small."

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Velok grunted happily. He moved to the head of the room and proceeded to demonstrate how to scatter your presence.

"Scattering is useful because it's easy to maintain. If your enemy already knows you're in a given area, there's no point in going to the trouble of fully locking yourself down. I also find it's valuable for fear purposes, especially if more than one of you is scattering your presence at a time. Imagine you can feel that multiple enemies are somewhere within the same city or on the same ship - but no matter how hard you try, you can't determine whether they're all the way on the other side, or about to jump you, or both."

Once he'd finished the demonstration - scattering and unscattering his presence repeatedly for the benefit of their senses - he did as Arthos Vynea said. He returned to his place and resumed working on pulling his presence inward, minimizing it, even making it vanish. There were other ways to do this than 'going small' - but he wasn't especially conversant in them, so he kept his silence for now.

Arcturus Dinn First Sister

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Before he could sink too far into his ruminations, into attempting that which was expected of them, Thesh found himself rather publicly called upon to answer a question. His eyes opened, though he did his best not to relinquish control over the Force - or more, in suppressing the Force - and pondered on an answer.​

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His mouth opened, words about to be spoken, when the Whiphid took said words right from out of his mouth. He faltered, gawping like a fish on a hook, before shaking his head and doing his best to come up with another response which made sense.​

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"My immediate thought was when your presence was already known, so that you could confuse and disorient your enemy. Make them think you're elsewhere in the vicinity, since they're already aware of you. But our good friend Velok here already alluded to such, so..."​

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He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment, his hold on the Force wavering as he dug deep within his mind to grasp at straws.​

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"Perhaps, My Lord, when you wish to make it seem as though there are more of you than there are? A group of five could seem like many more if their presences are scattered and omnipresent..."​

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Not his best answer, but an answer all the same. Once more he attempted to shrink his presence in the Force, as requested, though he admittedly discovered it was not quite so easy as merely drawing upon the Force in general.​

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Arthos Vynea stinky Velok Brokentusk the answer thief First Sister ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

Nodding as Velok spoke Arthos took a moment to change his own focus to spread his force presence out. It made sense, and it made him wonder how many other skills like it were just sitting there waiting for him to attempt. Scattering his presence had also not left him as closed off from the sensations of the force. Powerful indeed.

As Velok took his place back in class Arthos moved his yellowed eyes back to the boy who'd not spoken yet and listened. "A group of five yes, Acolyte, but remember anyone looking closely will recognize five of the exact same presences. Still a good thought though, and in a pinch could be quite useful if the one searching for you doesn't have the talent to tell one from another."

Moving his eyes to the smaller girl First Sister who had yet to respond to his prodding he nodded as he allowed her to focus. "Velok spoke well though of another method, and it is far from the only one used to conceal oneself. So we have the first step of how the great Darth Sidious hid his outright power out of sight from the Jedi. Then he built trust and built relationships from the inside. Now we've a foundation to work from, but that alone didn't gain his throne."

Turning to the boy again he waved him to the front of the class and pointed to a spot to his left. "You're a thinker, Arcturus Dinn so much so I can feel the force flutter inside of you as the gears move. So tell me how did he move from this foundation to leading the Republic into the war that brought about it's end."

Even as he spoke he moved his attention mentally to Velok who still seemed to be working through the method. Perhaps clouding would work better for him, but first he would try a more direct approach. Speaking directly into Velok Brokentusk mind he examined his efforts. Think not simply as if it was a matter of size, and presence. It is your essence wrap your will around it and contain it. Hold it deep within for the right moment to strike.

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"He hit them when they were at their most lax. The Jedi hadn't seen real conflict with the Darkside, they had no idea that one of the greatest Sith Lords had infiltrated the very heart of their senate. Their hubris blinded them. ​

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"He hid in plain sight, right under their noses, and he was patient. He spent years sliding the pieces into position. He set aside his pride, and he waited. Orchestrated a conflict that seemed so dire that they had no other choice but to circumvent the democracy they'd known."​

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Between the questions sent his way, Thesh gave the art an honest try. Closed his eyes, focused on his presence in the Force, and drew upon it as he often would. Then drew it inward, smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until it was a mere dot in his core and the darkness which often permeated him dispersed. So too did the singing... That haunting music which followed him from the edge of the Galaxy was quietened for the first time since his arrival to Korriban.​

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He wasn't sure how he felt. How it was to be without it. The silence was deafening, strange. But if he could only nail the technique, it would be worth it one of these days... Right?​

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Arthos Vynea ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

He smirked at Arcturus Dinn answer before walking to the front of the class to complete their lessons. "You have points in your answer, but it's wrong for the simplest reason of all. He simply followed the plan of his master, it's noted later in life that Darth Sidious often questioned how his own master would have dealt with issues inside of the Empire that arose. It was only then that he realized his master had never actually made any plans for himself as Emperor. Sidious did all that everyone in this room said, and more. Yet he was merely a piece following the plans of a master player. A powerful piece as you've all noted, but not the architect himself."

One by one he sent a message into each students mind as to their performance, and what to work on until he was down to the final two. Turning to Velok he gave a nod before speaking. "You two are both interesting, most of them are also just pieces on someone's chess board, but you two could be more. Velok Brokentusk you have wisdom bestowed from generations of deep understanding of the dark side of the force. A grand legacy, I look forward to seeing it continue in you. Please give your grandfather my regards, it's not often anyone does such damage to Jedi as he has. Less so with a robbery and an auction to bring about the fall of two galactic powers."

Turning to Arcturus he sniffed the air about him even as the lad had pulled his presence inward. "You've been practicing the art of sorcery and perhaps alchemy, no? It leaves a presence on you that doesn't simply vanish no matter what. Beware it took more tricks then simple minimizing his force presence for a sorcerer such as Sidious to hide himself. Against less astute Jedi you may hide your presence, but those who know better will sense that darkness on your soul. If you wish further lessons on how to disguise that you may come for a private lesson."

With that he dismissed them taking note of each and their promise in the dark side of the force. Turning to Ayvari Dorian he smirked once the classroom was empty. "This is the only flesh worth building on, a kingdom of Sith Lords. Ever vying to rise higher, and a new stronger Emperor continually appearing. A title I have no wish for though in truth. Sidious was a grand name, and Emperor by all rights, and yet he died. The man behind the throne though? He rarely changes and his hand is always guiding."