Faction Phantom Limb [NJO]

[Amani Serys]

OLBIO FOREST TRAINING GROUND
MYRKR​

---

A connection to the Force is the very nature of a Jedi. Some more stronger, some more weakly, but all rely on it.

​

Which is exactly why they need to learn without it.

Too many Jedi were overreliant. So accustomed to the myriad benefits of a sixth sense, conscious and subconscious, that should the time comes that it be severed, they would find themselves thrown off. Disoriented. And vulnerable. After the violence on Chaldea, the growing Mandalorian warpath, and rumors of anti-force activity on the galactic fringes, Councilor Amani Serys-Organa has taken it upon herself to address this flaw personally. She had years of experience with it herself. And she recouped the value of that experience multiple times now.

If the Jedi could be prepared for an encounter that suppresses their connection, it may very well save their lives. Perhaps even provide a new advantage, against opponents who are expecting something lesser from them. If it could save even one padawan, then it would be worth the effort.

Enter Myrkr. A planet with a unique relationship with the Force. Its most notable fauna, the Ysalamiri, were a genetic oddity, in that they evolved to negate the Force. With enough of them grouped together, a massive Force-repellant bubble could form. It was among one such colony that Amani constructed her lesson.

OBJECTIVE 1: SPARRING

One of the most important uses of training without the Force is to hone one’s combat capabilities. The Force provides many advantages, but without them, an unprepared Jedi may be unable to compensate. A glade among the olbio forest has made for an excellent natural sparring arena. Padawans are encouraged to practice duels with their peers, familiarizing themselves to combat without any assistance from the Force. Masters and Knights are free to train as well, or simply observe their students and assist in their education.

OBJECTIVE 2: OBSTACLE COURSE

For those students who don’t wish to spar, an obstacle course has been built within the forest. Jedi can use it to hone their agility, precision, and reflexes, devoid of any Force connection. The stages of the course are as follows:

1. Dodging: The course begins with a long straight path, leading to a wooden tower. Simple enough, except for the fact that the path is flanked on either side by training droids, who will fire non-lethal shock bolts at any passing participants.
2. Climbing: After making it through the initial path, participants are met with the wooden tower. It is covered in various climbing holds that mirror both natural and man-made structures. Scale your way to the top; Be prepared for any of the holds to intentionally shift or loosen. Don’t worry— the ground directly below has been padded in case you fall.
3. Jumping and Balancing: On reaching the top of stage 2, participants will see a series of three small ,equally tall podiums. Each barely capable of letting one person stand on them comfortably. Separating them are wide gaps, traversable only by hanging ropes. Catch the ropes, swing, and land on the podiums without losing balance. The third podium narrows into a thin balance beam, and leads to a final rope which participants can use to slide back down to the ground.
4. Aiming: The last stage of the course leads to a makeshift range. Participants are presented with one of two options: a practice blaster, or a handful of darts. They may use either method (or both), to try and hit a series of mechanical targets; Some stationary, some moving, all at varying distances. After this, a participant has officially cleared the obstacle course. They are free to try again if they desire, or move on.

Race your friends, or go at your own pace. As with Objective 1, Masters and Knights are welcome to try their hand at the experience, or simply help oversee their practicing students.

Spoiler: OOC

Welcome NJO! Time to see what you can do as Jedi, without the Force at your side. We’re taking a field trip to a ysalamiri-filled forest on Myrkr, to get students acclimated to circumstances where they may find themselves lacking their most important of senses. Explore the physical and psychological effects of a missing Force presence in one who has lived their life tied to it. Train, meditate, or just hang out idc. As long as you’re having fun! (And not derailing anything)

There’ll be no DMing here. Run through the thread’s offerings at your leisure. If you wanna use dice rolls for the obstacle course, knock yourself out, though there’s no universal parameters in place for that. Whatever floats your boat. Thanks for reading!

 

[Amani Serys]

- OPEN -​

---

“The perimeter is set?”

“Yes, Chief Healer.”

“No issues?”

“None, Chief Healer.”

“Excellent. Thank you,” Amani dipped her head to her droid assistant, and turned around to welcome the gathered Jedi. She breathed in deeply, extending her arms, “Do you feel that? Or rather-- not feel it?” Within this great olbio forest, a colony of ysalamiri took root among the trees. Together, their Force-repelling bubbles compounded and spanned the entire training area. All of the Jedi here would find themselves fully cut off from the metaphysical. Amani spent nearly five years with her connection broken, before the joined the Galactic Alliance. Now once again, she noticed the rest of her senses dull. Noticed a certain something that was missing from her. But she had acclimated. Learned to accommodate the weakness. Now, it was time for the others to do the same.

“Get used to it. With any luck, what we do today will help prepare you for one of the most dangerous things to happen to a Jedi: The loss of the Force itself.” Amani clasped her hands, and began to pace, “Despite the Force’s permeance, there are a few rarities throughout the galaxy capable of dampening, repelling, or even fully severing a Force connection. Among them are the creatures living in this very forest. Today, their presence is a welcome part of our training. But tomorrow, you may find them used against you. Which is why I want to make sure that you have as many opportunities to protect yourself against that as possible.”

“With that said— Enough of me talking. Please, take a moment to get yourself adapted to the experience. It can be a bit disorienting. But when you’re ready, I encourage you to put these limits to the test.” Amani stepped aside, gesturing to the sparring grove just behind her, then to the obstacle course entrance to the right of that. Students and teachers alike were free to explore the training zone, and begin their work.

 

[Valery Noble]

Myrkr

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"With or without weapons, love?"

Valery rolled her shoulders, stretched every limb and part of her body, and pulled her hair back into a tighter ponytail. She still had her blasters and lightsabers clipped to her belt, ready to be turned against her beloved husband, but if he wanted to go hand-to-hand, she'd do that too. Usually, the Force was what brought them on essentially the same level, with Kahlil's greater ability to manipulate their bond giving him an edge.

But recently, she felt like she was improving on that front, and getting closer and closer to him. It made the spars intense and incredibly fun, and she hoped to match him perfectly one day in the near future.

Today, though, none of that mattered — neither of them was able to use the Force, and she already knew it'd put her at an even greater disadvantage. Not only was he much bigger and had more natural strength, but he had also been without the Force before and learned how to fight without it.

"You know, there are no rules this time, right? I'll have to fight dirty~"

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Myrkr
Tags: Jonyna Si

​

Jasper was in his element. Very few Jedi relied on practical skills in combat. The force was their ally after all. The Sentinel of Harmony was a little different, however. He was a weaker force user, plain and simple. The man could hardly manage a force push, and even his rather powerful ability in Force Light was relegated to use through a blade, which channeled force energy. In short, he was always working with a handicap.

The shoe was on the other foot today.

His opponent would be Jonyna, a newcomer from a past age. She was a skilled combatant to be sure, one who had honed their craft fighting the Empire of old. Jasper wasn't one to underestimate anyone, even with a swanky new title.

But he knew where his skills lie. Even in his modesty there was an air of confidence. After all, he had trained his entire life to fight.

"Alright," Jasper began, rotating his organic shoulder, "I'm looking forward to this. It's been a while since I've had a regular old sparring match. This'll be fun."

Jasper reached over to his mechanical arm, grabbing hold of the shoulder before flicking his prosthetic wrist. In an instant it clicked off, the Jedi Knight casting it aside. He first drew a shorter lightsaber, an orange shoto, placing it in his mouth. Then a second, his original. Old reliable. They were already powered down in advance, reverted to a training state.

"Lesgo," Jasper mumbled through his gritted teeth.

 

[Colette]

Colette had laughed at Valery when she had proposed this. Usually Colette would at the very least show some measure of respect, but this just seemed like such a joke on the kid's behalf that she couldn't help but find amusing. She had been with the order for a few months now, maybe even a year but hardly anything more than that, and before that she had spent her entire life unaware of the force, fighting with sticks and surviving the wilds. If Valery wanted her to remember that, it wouldn't exactly be all that difficult to do.

The ysalamiri fields were entered and rather than feel naked, Colette felt more akin to being aware that she had lost something she knew that she could have used but also chosen not to use at all. Yes, of course she had grown more used to relying on those heightened senses, but rather than fixating on its absence she reveled in the fact that the only thing separating her and some of the people around her in this very moment was muscle memory from battle.

Hell, Colette could probably beat up a fair few of her superiors in this clearing with relative ease. Especially those that she knew relied on the force as their crutch in life. Which was to say, you know, the consulars and other book nerds.

"Hey Val-" Colette began as she absent-mindedly approached the spot where the two had separated, only to see that she was practically arms deep with Kahlil already. "Oh for the love of…"

The kid sighed and dropped one of the sticks she had gathered and began to peel at the one she decided to keep. Her head shook in frustration before she took a seat and decided to take a seat on the ground and get to work as she listened in on the rest of the people.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise stepped into the sparring ring. This was to be a hand-to-hand match, which was closer to what she was used to on Zaathru, but her excitement was dampened by grief.

Chaldea's destruction had hit her hard. She hadn't visited her birthworld in years, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. Her grandparents had survived, at least. Everyone else she had known there, not so much.

The only thing that she knew for sure would help with the pain was to fight. She cracked her knuckles, waiting for the instructor to select her opponent from amongst the other padawans.

Resh + Open​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Fighting dirty, clean, doesn't matter in a real fight. It's all about who wins, yeah?"

Kahlil stretched out his arms, flexed his fingers. It'd been a long time since he last couldn't feel the Force, but it wasn't the first time. Chaldea had been the first time for him, where he was completely severed. At least now was only temporary. He glanced about, trying to catch sight of the lizards that were doing this to them. He couldn't see them. Ah, it was both freeing and concerning how much it messed with him.

"Don't hold back, yeah?"

He turned to her, lifting his hands with a wide grin. He was more than ready for whatever she might try to throw at him.

Valery Noble

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Upon receiving the message from Amani Serys , Jonyna was happy to join in a training session. Of course, she would have invited Ko Vuto to come along as well, as she wanted him to learn how to not rely on the force just as much as she did.

Admittedly for the Cathar, this was not unfamiliar territory for her. When you live in fear of the Empire, you learn to rely on much more than just the Force to survive. But for Jonyna, that was months ago now. She had fallen into the trap of using her powers as practically her primary offense, and she felt like she needed to get back to the grindstone.

She instinctively took a Form I stance as she entered the battlefield, her tail wrapped firmly around her second saber against her back, raising her offhand with Liz above her head in a Water stance.

"You first." She quipped back, holding her stance.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Thelma Goth]

​

In another sparring ring, Thelma was braiding her red hair so it wouldn't be in the way. Nimble fingers wove the plaits perfectly, then tossed the tight cord over her shoulder.

She was a little nervous, not just because she could no longer feel the Force, but because she would be fighting Silas. He was bigger than her, for one, and already a knight. Being so outmatched in a fight without the aid of the Force would be far from ideal, but that was sort of the point, wasn't it? To get them to learn how to defend themselves under the worst possible conditions.

Besides, Silas would never try to hurt her. Right?

Silas Westgard​

 

[Cailen Corso]

​

Obstacle courses were second-nature for Cailen. He was nimble on his feet, accustomed to scaling piles of scrap to tag them for his stackboss as fast as he could. More claims meant more credits, and that always translated to an easier time for his family. The course on Myrkr didn't look all that different from Anaxes, if you equated vines and trees to support cables and mounds of metal.

He grinned, eyeing the first section of the course. The narrow channel he had to pass through looked safe enough at first glance, but he knew there had to be more to it than a mad dash to the end. Cailen positioned himself near the start, taking a moment to tighten the laces on his boots. When they were good to go, he bolted forward, just like when he was young. The roots and branches of the forest were just like rusted pipes and metal beams in the junkyard. It all felt familiar to him, and he fixated on his muscle memory rather than the Force's guidance...

...that's probably why he missed the droids and their shock bolts that waited for him to pass by.

---

Tags: OPEN​

Spoiler: OOC

I just rolled a d6 and went with the standard array of bad to good, ranging from 1-6, for some flavor

 

[Katherine Holt]

Objective 1: Sparring
Tags: Colette
​

In the wake of Kahlil starting their training ahead of the conflict with the Mandalorians, going to Myrkr seemed like the most obvious thing to Katherine. The fact they would be sparring without the Force was crucial in preparation to fight a people that had an extensive history fighting Force Users.

They would no doubt come into the fight with various weapons and gadgets, with a high probability of disabling a Jedi’s connection to the Force.

Stepping on the planet, feeling the effects of the Ysalamiri fields was a strange experience. It had taken Katherine a while to properly connect with the Force, so to feel that connection suddenly become ‘numb’ threw her through a loop or two. But once she had found her footing, Katherine was eager to find an opponent to spar with.

Kahlil might’ve suggested seeking out one of his wife’s Padawans.

So Katherine was going to do just that.

“Well, I see it didn’t take them any time at all…” Katherine announced her arrival, letting out an amused snort as she watched Valery and Kahlil begin their own little spar. “I think it’s a record too, a lot quicker than on Eshan.”

The winged Padawan plopped herself down beside Colette, making sure to fold her wings in. “It’s nice to finally meet you Colette, I’m Katherine.”

​

 

[Loomi]

Myrkr
Tags: Cailen Corso , Aliris Tremiru

Loomi was hanging on by a thread. Not literally, but she was very much struggling without the force to guide her. Her eyesight was very poor, with her lone good eye struggling to make up for the loss of the other. The Godoan's balance was also, notably, very awkward, with her mechanical legs the wrong proportions and now a pair of small wings on her back.

Needless to say, Loomi was not having a good time.

She was getting hit by pretty much every droid she passed, pelted with low power rounds. Eventually one was solid enough to knock her off balance, sending her to the ground. Her cheek hit the dirt, which was enough to convince Loomi that she should just lay there a minute.

Everything was disorienting without her other senses. She desperately needed to feel through the force.

 

[Valery Noble]

Myrkr

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

"Mhmm, all about who wins..."

Valery shot him a wide grin and raised her hands as well, readying herself for the fight. But she had no desire to just get into a fair fistfight and be exposed to all of his strength at once. Luckily, he couldn't tap into their bond to see through her strategy, so she began to move forward and not long before she reached him, Valery suddenly drew her pistol.

Just not to shoot at him.

She knew better than to try to get into a gunfight with Kahlil, so she fired at the tree next to him, causing splinters to explode out toward him. It likely wouldn't hurt but it could get in his eyes, obstruct his vision or just be terribly annoying if it worked out the way she planned it in her head.

Valery then charged forward to close the distance and aimed a powerful kick at his knee, meant to just take him down with as much pain was necessary.

She was not holding back.

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

This wasn't okay.

Aliris gripped at her chest as she walked, frowning as she tried not to just freak out. No Force, no control. No ability to just.. Feel, or anything like it. She didn't need the Force to move or anything, but it just.. It felt like she was in that damn machine again. That memory sent a surge of panic through her mind before she glanced down towards Loomi. And smiled, faintly. Ah. She was having a real hard time, huh?

"Hey, you okay?"

She hopped down, reaching a hand out for her. "This is really hard, huh?"

Loomi | Cailen Corso

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Myrkr
Tags: Jonyna Si

​

Jasper shrugged as Jonyna gave him the okay to go first. In an instant he broke out into a sprint. No force speed, but the man was notably fast. He started simple, quickly bringing his blade up for a jab.

Already he was beginning to calculate potential reactions. He wasn't committing to this blow, instead he'd prepare to pull it back to see if he couldn't bait out a swing to get a hit in on her wrist. This wasn't about going for killing blows, this was about systematically disarming his opponent.

And preparing for his shoto to get some action as well. It wasn't in his mouth just to make him seem insane.

At least not completely.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Oh?

Kahlil didn't react, because he couldn't see it. He blinked as the tree beside him blew up in a shower of splinters, and indeed it made it difficult for him to see. That was surprising. Very surprising. Perhaps he'd been relying on the Force too much after all. The sudden surge of pain in his knee as he felt it kicked out from under him brought him right out of that line of thought. He barked out a laugh as he grinned down towards her. And brought his fist around.

Even reeling from pain and the kick he was very much able to strike back, and like her he didn't hold back, sending the fist right for her gut.

"Ha! That's more like it!"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Myrkr

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble

Her trickery worked.

Valery grinned when she watched the splinters briefly take away his ability to see her, and now that he couldn't feel her anymore, there was no way to stop the kick anymore. She felt it connect with his knee, and even though she couldn't sense his pain, she knew that had to hurt. Still, Kahlil was no ordinary fighter and pushed himself through it quicker than she had anticipated. Valery had opened herself up to try and take advantage of the knee-kick, and she paid the price.

A powerful punch hit her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and folding her over from the pain. She had been hurt before in their spars, but this hurt.

Still, she joined him with a pained laugh and pushed herself away to move down his weakened flank. Hopefully, the knee injury would linger long enough, allowing her to land the punch she was aiming for the side of his face. She had to reach up a bit for it, but she was quick on her feet, and followed up with another kick at the same leg she had hit earlier.

If he wasn't going down from one, maybe two would be enough.

"Come on, love! Bring it!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The punch caught him square on the chin, but he didn't falter. Rather, he just grinned as he turned with her. She was smart to linger to his already injured side, but he wasn't new to fighting. He took the punch because he knew what she was going to do next. The same thing he would. He reached down to catch her leg as she kicked out, to catch it in one arm and hoist it right up to throw her off balance. All while he swung his other fist around to again slam into her gut.

"I am!"

Valery Noble

 

[Gweneth Zarari]

Location: Myrkr
Objective: Sparring
Tag: Irvelghrikk Dreidi Xeraic

I was still waiting on my answer from the man I hoped would formally become my master, but by different connections, such as the woman I was walking towards, I had found out about this interesting training event. I could already feel it in my body, the lack of connection to the force was quite surreal, but the lizards themselves were beautiful, both in their form and their ingenious evolutionary response.

"This is fun, right?" I said to Dreidi Xeraic wish a skeptical look on my face. "Do you feel alright? I feel like part of me is missing" I looked over towards she training circles where I would soon be sparring, I wasn't yet aware of my opponent, but I was quite certain the Jedi would pick someone suitably matched with my own natural abilities. I heard my name called out by the trainers and looked back at the witch, placing my hand on her elbow. "Good luck with your obstacle course, I had a little look and it looks tough without the force, try not to hurt yourself." We would hopefully meet up after the activity.


In the ring...

I stepped into the ring and finally got to meet my opponent, a wookiee named Irvelghrikk . I had trained with wookiees on Kashyyyk and had a deep respect for those noble people. I considered my Ryyk blades, but had not prepared non-lethal versions and the training ones were not suitable for a person of my small stature, so I had picked my staff. I bowed low to the wookiee and with some slight contortion of my vocal cords I spoke to him. "Mgghlr rrggllllmm ghr rryl mmmgggglll kkrrrrģgggghh hhgglll mhhhgg

I spun my staff rapidly in my hands whipping it so it blew my ginger hair across my face before blowing it away again and locking the staff into a defensive posture. It was going to be a good fight.
​

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Jonyna kept her guard, taking a step back to dodge the jab. Jasper's feint certainly worked, thought it didn't seem to have the desired effect. Jonyna was too experienced to attack first, waiting for a real attack. She wouldn't let herself be countered when she could-

She darted left, not as fast as she probably wanted to. She was so used to being as fast as the wind, now it was a struggle. Regardless, she kept her plan in motion, shifting her stance to keep her lightsaber guarding her right side while she brought her katana down into a diagonal slash. Jasper only had the one saber to guard. Even with the one in his mouth, there wasn't much space to manipulate it...