Of Witches and Wizards: A Journey to Dathomir

[RC 212]

Location: Dathomir.... Deep jungle

The undergrowth of the jungles crunched under her feet. There was but no sound in the deep jungle, just the weighing heavy sensation of green mist and vibrant life. Althea walked in silence, her brown eyes peering intently from beneath her tricornered hat. Her tunic was dirty and torn, her armor dull and leather fading.

She had been here for quite some time now, searching for knowledge honig her powers. As a young woman this had been her home. A place where she had learned under the tutelage of Rogue Nightsisters, in stark contrasts to the rest of the witches here.

Daughters of Allya, the exiled Jedi Knight. But she was a daughter of darkness, of pure will and twisted blood magics.

A scent of musky water aught her nose and she paused, examining the forest floor. At her side was a pouch in which she had been collecting poison toads for a project. A small rustle caught her fleeting eyes and her sword point struck out into the growth. She was rewarded with yet another toad, speared on the end of her Obsidian Cutlass.

That made twenty three...

It was some time before she came to the waterfalls. Dark water running over glossy moss covered boulders. the scent of decaying undergrowth hung like mildew in her nostrils. The sounds of silence, dread silence. The kind of silence that claimed the unworthy, and drove them mad with fear. Slowly the young Witch knelt and cupped the soil and the fallen growths in her hands. An incantation from the Book of Shadows came to mind. A spell of shaping, to master the elements.

"Pyrios."

It was single word muttered silently under her breath. As it escaped her parched, chapped lips the dark energies of the force moved in unison with her will. slowly a crackling flame began to build, manifesting itself from the tine air. It appeared in her palm, wrapping around and around, blazing ever brighter.

Brown eyes narrowed as her will moved the Dark current and the Spirits of the wild into the spell, growing her flame brighter and faster. Except this was no ordinary fire, it was black and all consuming. It danced and flickered in purple hues and tones.

And then there was a noise. A smell of reeking meat thrust its way into her nostrils and she felt a horrid dread sink into her soul. From the pool erupted a shade, a purple green disfigured monster. A possessed Rancor, looming with its beady undead eyes. Rotten flesh fell away from its frame as it roared, splitting the woods with its mighty cry.

It all made sense now why many a Witch died here. This was Dathomirs deepest jungles. The place of trials, where young Witches came to prove their mettle. In return, they would be granted power.

Stand back you damned creature...

No sooner had those thoughts left her mind than the beast lunged....

 

[Salaza]

Something had been watching [member="Althea Raxis"] as she trekked through the jungle. It had been ever since she came this far deep into its bowls. The unseen thing was a witch herself but not one to be seen so soon. This girl had an air of magic about her, one the hiding sister knew well enough. Her gift of the force sight had allowed her to see beyond just knowing where anything was after all. Fro the shadows she followed carefully, never interfering with her little journey. She was hungry and thirsty but Salaza, the one hiding away, never reacted to help. If she was strong enough she would make it on her own. Otherwise she was not a true sister. These were the same sort of trials she had to endure in her time, far back before this new clan had emerged. Finally she came to water only to be met with the unpleasant surprise of an undead Rancor. It was, after all, a little security that the sisters had installed in this pool. Now it was a matter of seeing if this newcomer was up to the task of defeating it.​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Salaza"]

Tired and hungry was not the way to fight. But Althea was more resolute than your average person. As the beast lunged she strode to meet it, unleashing the flame from her palm directly into its eyes. The creature roared in pain and reared, slashing wildy with its claws as the black force fire crawled over its skin. It was sticky and living, a sentient manifestation of the force, scalding flesh and consuming the beast.

Althea had to dodge, falling to one knee and rolling along the rotten leaves as the smell of sizzling meat thrust its way into her nostrils. It reeked even worse than the moster itself did. But the fire died and once again the beast roared, reeling back on its hind legs and searching for her. Massive claws rent the earth beside her as the Dark Current gathered within her.

the enrgies began to coalesce in her right palm, forming a spear of absolute darkness. It pulsed and throbbed, waxing and waning as if living. The spear of midnight black.

With her left hand she pushed against the rotted ground, rising once more to her knees. A small woman against a large beast. time seemed to slow for her as her brown eyes flashed with vengeance. The spear sailed clear from her hand, thrown with such ferocity it split the air with a buzz as it sailed into the rancor. Dark energy lanced through the beats leg and it roared again, toppling down to the ground.

Althea reveled in the pain of the beast. It was almost finished and now was quite immobilized. She knelt down, dirty hair flapping in the wind as the forest seemed to come to life, intense eddies an swirls of air roaring through the undergrowth.

Drawing energy like she had been taught from the very earth itself she gritted her teeth and spread both palms wide, muttering ancient magic’s. Another purple spear began to grow, but this time it was different. Instead of a spear it was two of them, both growing along the length of her arms....

 

[Salaza]

Able to see her attacks Salaza was impressed to say the least. Obviously this girl was something of an initiate, like herself, but she showed exceptional skills as a magic user. The pure dark spears she produced were a skill not too often used but one that was recognized nonetheless. Seeing as she was able to hold her own against the undead rancor, and rather that lose a perfectly good 'watchdog" the Miraluka witch finally decided to intervene. She stepped out of the dense foliage of the forest and began to say something in a unearthly booming voice. It was an old language that seemed as ancient as Dathomir and the Nightsisters themselves. The rancor reacted, looking to her before recoiling. Eventually it slipped back into the water without resistance. ​

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Looking to [member="Althea Raxis"] now, Salaza said "You show impressive skill for an outsider." Her voice was like a echoing, hoarse whisper, entering into her ears like chalk dragged against a board. "Who are you, girl?"​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Salaza"]

Althea whirled to see another woman emerge from the jungle. Much like herself in many respects. She could feel something else, something elusive about her. As she dispersed the dark spears from her arms the energy crackled and popped. Brown orbs peered intently at the woman from beneath her hat. Her attire, was all too familiar.

A fellow Nighsister.

For a second she paused, uncertain of what to say. the air was thick and moist, her lips still chapped. the thirst and the heat addled her brain, but she managed to pull herself up to her full height, hands outstretched by her sides. Her muscles were tight and lithe, fueled by the energies of the dark current.

"I'm Althea, Althea Raxis, adopted here long ago."

She had no clan particularly. the Nightsisters that had taken her in were rogues. Not affiliated, nor the descendent of Allya the exiled Jedi, mother of the Dathomiri witches. Althea was something of an anomally among them.Not native born, but raised in the arts none the less.

"And you are?"

 

[Salaza]

Now knowing her name Salaza approached, not saying anything at first. As she came closer she began to circle [member="Althea Raxis"] , inspecting her with unseen eyes. Give her attire, of course, she would stand out from the usual Nightsisters, She was Mirakula but looked more like some sort of avian species; given the shape of her helmet and feathered cape. Her clawed hands reached out and touch at her hair, sniffing it, before continuing to circle.​

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"I am called Salaza." she began, her voice still so hoarse and yet so clear. "I am of the Spider Clan. And you have trespassed on our scared ground." She stopped in front of her and demanded "Why?"​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Salaza"]

Althea scoffed a bit at the woman. Sacred ground? How could the ground even be sacred here, with the undead running about? For a second she envisioned spearing the rude woman with a the midnight black spears. But it was useless to continue to try and fight everything and everyone. Here she might find an ally.

What was she doing? It was a good question. Truthfully she was doing many things. Collecting toads, searching for Nightsister Force Crystals and running around trying to find the Waters of Life to take some with her. But would she divulge all of her cards so easily? Certainly not. The cunning pirate woman turned her lips into a smile and stepped out of the other witches reach.

Her footwork matched the caped bird looking With stride for stride, and now they simply circled, Altheas brown eyes peering intently into the woman’s mask.

"I'm looking for Nightsister Force Crystals, for a certain.... project of mine."

 

[Salaza]

As [member="Althea Raxis"] tried to match Salaza with her walking the witch hissed a bit and said "One does not simply take from the sisters and walks away. You seek a force crystal from use, then you must prove your worth to have it." She stopped, looking ready to fight, but instead had her hands behind her back. "You should not act so coy before us. We have much power, some you cannot imagine." Her voice almost seemed to resonate now, as it she was calling out to someone or something else out in the woods. ​

 

[RC 212]

[member="Salaza"]

Altheas eyebrows raised just a hair from beneath her tricornered hat. A smirk began to tug its way from her lips and her hands flexed. Each finger tensing and unlocking. The woman was obviously agitated. Who was this us she spoke of? Althea had never heard of the Spider Clan. She had heard of all the rest though. Particularly the interesting part to the young Pirate Captain was a fellow nightsisters unwillingness to seek out and help another.

"Come now, we are both the same. You speak as if I come here from outside to simply take from you. Dathomir is my home, I was raised here."

Her screams into the jungle were uncanny and from the depths of the Dark Current Althea felt a stir. With out hesitation she immersed herself in the dark energies one more, drawing them into her body. Black pulsating power ran through her veins lie toxic water, giving her dark desires. The desire to kill first among them...

Altheas hand slowly moved to her cutlass, wrapping around the obsidian blade...

 

[Salaza]

She claimed not to be an outsider then? Salaza recoiled a bit but still kept her ground after hearing this. If she was a child of Dathomir then she would be far more inclinced to aid. But she needed proff first. "Then prove it. Prove you're a child of Dathomir."​

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[member="Althea Raxis"]​