Survive.

[Darth Metus]

M O R D ' R E T H A R​

The Brotherhood had begun to lay a Foundation. Great strides were being taken each day, with the most recent being the claiming of a world as Home. At a glance, the planet was a stark contrast to the splendor of Dromund Kaas or the glory of the Stygian Caldera, but what it lacked in aesthetics it made up for in Power. From the instant your vessels breached the broken atmosphere, the presence of the Dark Side seeped into your bones. Death was the price of this power: for the far-flung planet had been ravaged by the demise of its home star. Where once a seat of Sith power stood, only ruins remained. Yet, the Dark Lord had ordered we come to reclaim this shattered world. And that was exactly what our ships were dispatched to do.

We were the First Wave. And whilst flying over a sea of lava did we first encounter...problems.

At first, what we saw demanded attention: a mammoth Pyramid suspended above the active inferno. Prelimary estimates were that this structure was upheld by ancient repulsors and that this was a place of harsh learning: An Academy. However, we did not have time to theorize long, for drawing near caused unexpected interference. The lead vessel crashed outright - their final transmission warned of power being lost to the engines. We were fortunate enough to have heard this when we did, and thus deviated our heading. Our power was practically lost as well, causing a rather rough landing among the rocks. The others...well, there weren't any others as fortunate as we were. But, maybe fortunate is the wrong word.

Communications couldn't leave the local area.

Our ship wasn't moving anytime soon.

And our life support was ticking.

The only option was to breach that Pyramid.

The only option was to Survive.

OOC - As you proceed, challenges, options, and rewards will be added to your Path. Enjoy!​

[member="Aria Vale"], [member="Darth Ophidia"], [member="Alkor Centaris"], [member="Asharad Graush"], [member="Atmeiktes"], [member="Darth Carnifex"], [member="Darth Prazutis"], [member="Darth Metus"], @Darth Inferitus, [member="Darth Pyrrhus"], [member="Kaalia Voldaren"], [member="Oron Verd"], [member="Valessia Brentioch"], [member="Sivora Raak"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

It wasn't the greatest landing of all time, to say the least.

When the vessel Kaalia piloted made contact with the ground she was shook around in her seat as it came to a grinding halt, leaving her checking her own person to see if the landing hadn't hurt her in any way. With a relieved sigh she got up, her legs slightly shaky from the adrenaline churning through her system, and looked around the ship that had its items now sprawled around all over the place. Turning back to the controls the woman concluded that there was no way to restore the power from here, causing her to let out an annoyed grunt. "Isn't this just great..." she said under her breath as she shook her head to recollect herself. Now it was time to devise a plan to get to safety. Staying on the ship wasn't going to get its passengers anywhere, and the life support was limited. Speaking of passengers...

"Everything okay back there? I unfortunately couldn't make the landing any smoother than that. Damn power went out." The redhead called out to [member="Aria Vale"], who had accompanied her on the ship that had brought them to Mord'Rethar. "I hope you were able to hold on to something." After brushing her hair back she walked away from the cockpit and met up with the other Sith Knight. "We need a plan to get to safety, And fast. The life support is ticking and I don't feel like getting cooked today." Walking over to a container the woman concluded that the electronic mechanisms inside it also had shut down, leaving her with no option than to break it open. Laying her left hand on it she closed her eyes and focused on the material, finding the slightest of weaknesses within it through the Force. Sending a wave of power towards it the weakness became a crack that slowly got larger and larger, until the container was reduced to nothing but what resembled dust. Shatterpoint had been a useful skill once more.

Removing an oxygen mask and a protective suit from the dust Kaalia laid them down on the ground and with the application of Wind Shaping blew the dust off of the items before taking the second pair of items and repeating the process. "There is a gigantic pyramid near here, it's likely the source of whatever killed all the electronics in here. It's probably our best bet for now if we want to get out of here." The woman spoke and acted in a very methodical manner, unamused by the current situation. Now that she had said everything she needed to say however, she gladly went back to complaining about the bantha chit they had gotten into as she started putting on one of the suits. "Who even thought going here was a good idea, anyway? Now we're stuck on a karking wasteland. Actually, this place is worse than a wasteland. I swear, if I find the person responsible for crashing all the ships I will- I'm rambling again. Let's just get out of here." Picking up the oxygen mask she started making her way towards the still-closed boarding ramp. After putting it on she pulled the emergency release and the ramp fell down with a thud. "Time to move."

 

[Sivora Raak]

"The price of power is one most cannot afford. You must be above that which beckons from within shadow and greed."

Those words looped over and over again inside Sivora's mind. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, unable to silence her thoughts. All of the teachings of the Nightsisters had not led the Dathomirian here, but rather her own desire for more than what she had. A life of survival was all she'd known, calloused to the harsher elements of the galaxy - planets of uninhabitable wilderness which threatened her life on more than one occasion.

The warnings she was made to understand did not stop at lessons of self-control, but also of the Force and those who bear the moniker of Sith. Yet here she was, strapped inside of a shuttle which was tethered to a much larger craft - a vessel belonging to the hated, the ravagers of many-a world and species.

But Sivora wanted this - needed the attention and chance at a higher calling, and opportunity had graced her with that reality.

But the more depressing truth of it all was that Sivora had no one, and loneliness consumed her heart and stomach with an appetite for more than she was truly worth. Ruthless and foolhardy, much was to be learned still. But for greatness, nothing was too taxing.

Soon all of Sivora's thoughts and sentiment was shaken and replaced with slight panic and a large portion of confusion as she felt the gravity coupling detach from the larger ship that was carrying her, the sheer drop alone was enough to send the warrior's stomach into her throat as she remained strapped into her seat - a violent crash, Sivora's head whipped back and forth, smacking firmly against the durasteel wall above her neck.

The inside of the small shuttle was beginning to grow quite uncomfortably warm, and from the view Sivora had of the outside, there wasn't much to be cheerful about. Lava and sparse rock formations - feeling the increase of the temperature and finding it more difficult to breathe, the warrior freed herself from the safety harness of her chair, reaching up to her helmet to activate the oxygen reserves within.

Something else caught the Dathomirian's eye, however. A large pyramid structure just above the ruin and certain death, peacefully situated. It didn't take much critical thinking at all to guess it was the reason for the Sith to investigate an otherwise inhospitable wasteland. Deciding it was best to depart from the shuttle, Sivora attempted to activate the ramp to allow her escape - nothing. The circuitry was damaged in the crash, and that meant only one other solution. To cut her way out.

Upon doing so, an almost overwhelming wave of heat confronted the woman. Sweat forming on her brow, she noticed that she most definitely was not the only one to be cast into this hellish landscape. Smoke plumed skyward, and debris of a lost ship scattered itself like shattered bones among a desecrated graveyard.

It was time to move on and hope someone else survived.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Darth Ophidia"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Asharad Graush"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Atmeiktes"] | [member="Darth Interitus"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] | [member="Oron Verd"] | [member="Valessia Brentioch"]

 

[NightSister]

"Oh, please." Aria managed a grin as she gingerly got to her feet, eyes sweeping the disarray of their surroundings. "By my standards you might as well be the galaxy's best pilot."

Aria had been in a crashed starship a few times before. Aria had crashed a starship a few times before. (The exception, not the rule. Aria maintained that her ship knew how to fly even less than she knew how to fly a ship.)

In comparison, Kaalia's bumpy landing was a walk in the park.

To call her afraid would be pushing it - many Sith preached fear's usefulness but Aria had managed one way or another to simply distance herself from the feeling. It was perfectly true that a measure of fear protected you, but safety grew so very dull. Regardless, though fear was a stretch too far Aria was smart enough to know their predicament would end very badly if they didn't move fast.

"I'm fine, but you're right, we need to work out a plan," she agreed, following the redhead's gaze as Kaalia got to work. She let the other woman deal with the container, standing idle nearby until she set down a mask and suit.

Eyebrows lifted as Kaalia laid out her plan, evidently approving. "Good a plan as any." She equipped herself, and Aria followed suit. The Echani was completely calm, clearly satisfied enough with the plan to rule out imminent death. Sure, they were bound to find a handful of dangers along the way, but Aria was happy to think about those when they got there.

She strode down the landing ramp alongside the latter Knight, amber eyes surveying the area.

"Lovely place, this," she commented, tone heavy with sarcasm. "Lead the way."

| [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] |​

 

[Alkor Centaris]

The world around them was on fire.

It was not warm, nor was it alive. The fire he felt was a bitter, cold, all-consuming and immanent threat. As the freighter spun out of control and slammed headlong into igneous rock, Alkor opened his eyes and took a ragged breath.

In the midst of the chaos, there was no peace. In that instant, he felt embroiled deeply in conflict, and pain lanced through his body. In spite of that, silence enveloped him.

The ship lurched, tumbled, and tore apart as the hull scraped across the surface of a long dead world. That was the familiarity he had felt, he realized.

This was a place deeply entwined with death.

Two Acolytes had donned their breathing masks already, and when they turned to check on him, Alkor slowly stood. His eyes were locked on the cracked transparisteel of the cockpit, and the hellscape just beyond. "....?"

He recognized that they were speaking, but he could not hear them. "Stop wasting air," he hissed as he pushed one man to the side. "Can you feel the power that lays dormant here?"

Both Acolytes exchanged glances, then looked back to the Dark Jedi.

He pulled his hood overhead, and coated his lungs and airways with augmented, superheated energies. Every breath was like poison, and burned as he took it in.

When he kicked the latch open and stepped out into the wasteland, Alkor took a moment to survey the world they had discovered.

"Next time, Isley," he muttered, "I fly."

 

[Darth Interitus]

The world that was in the Brotherhood's sights was nothing but a wasteland filled with smoke and brimstone. The world known as Mord'Rethar was one he was not familiar with and knew the only thing that proved to be significant on its lifeless surface was a pyramid that hung in the air. After doing some brief research, he had concluded that the Pyramid was Sith in origin. This was perhaps why they had come here, to begin with, but the main question was what was in it that carried so much value.

Over the course of the travels from the Unknown Regions to this system, Interitus had done research on the political climate of the Galaxy, if he was going to aid the Sith in the grand scheme of things, he will not do so as a Warrior bent on bloodlust, but will do so from a political angle, he will aid the Brotherhood through his machinations within the political realm of the Galaxy. Not to mention his manipulations of the weak will in due time grant him a place among the circle of the most revered Sith Lords, but for now, all he could do was wait for that time to arrive.

He was busy studying the datapad of the current factions in the Galaxy when all of a sudden, a quick disturbance was sent to him through the Force like a chill was going through his spine. For a moment he was unaware of what was happening, and then he was slammed against the Durasteel wall of his cabin with a loud thud. It was as if his own brain was bouncing against his skull, and as he dropped to the floor everything happened so fast, alarms were blaring and crewmen were shouting, then all of a sudden it came to a grinding halt as the craft buckled and quickly descended rapidly. Explosions started to occur from the systems overloading, and all he could see when everything faded to nothingness was the walls of his quarters collapsing around him.

When Interitus opened his eyes, he could see the fiery skies clear as day. He looked around and saw bits and pieces of his quarters, or what was formerly his quarters, he looked around, the datapad was missing and unfortunately so was his lightsaber, which must have disconnected from his belt when he was getting tossed around. He slowly got up stretching his muscles and making sure nothing was damaged, he looked around for his weapon, and much to his luck found it under a damaged piece of the Durasteel hull, thankful he had clipped it quickly back to his belt. Then a quick realization hit him. He needed to find his survival kit, he was not going to go out into the hellish wasteland, and suffocate on the toxic gasses that were in the very air he was breathing. He started to quickly search, as he slowly used the Force to control his breath to prevent the inhalation of the toxic fumes that were about, and after several minutes of searching, he had found the pack. Unfortunately for him, it was far from intact, all that remained was a few rations to last for several days. The rescue beacon was damaged, not to mention all the other perishables as well save for the breathing mask.

He had quickly placed the mask on finally taking a clean breath. He looked around as he started to walk out of the area, clear that there was nothing for him here now, he saw twisted and scattered pieces all across the land, and he could even swear he saw a few corpses as well. None of that mattered now, of course, he pushed onwards as he looked ahead and could clearly sense several Force Signatures. As he looked to the pyramid he came to the quick conclusion that who had survived was going to the structure that was lying low in the skies. For now, that was the only option, the only option was to survive and so Interitus would do just that. He raised his hood and walked forward in the pyramid's direction, he had no idea who else had survived or he was going to encounter. That was for the Force to know and for Interitus to find out, but for right now the main goal on his mind was survival.

[member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Sivora Raak"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Malok]

Next time Isley, I fly.

Those were the first sounds to breach the perpetual ringing. It had all happened so fast - a routine landing gone haywire in the span of seconds. The Sith Lord did all he could, clutching at the unresponsive controls and aiming as far away from the lava flows as possible. However, impact was the inevitable conclusion...and that's when it all went black. Darth Metus knew that he was not dead, however. He had tasted that particular dish once before and knew how it felt. This...This was not dying...But it was the furthest thing from living either. Pain flared across his body, announcing that he was very much apart of the physical realm still. And so, amidst the shattered remains of their ship did Metus lay.

"I somehow doubt..." came the groan of his response. Through clenched teeth did he speak whilst attempting to push himself upright. The pain was not helping, and a preliminary guesstimate said fractures were a reality. "...that you could have done much better. But by all means, take the wheel next time." At least his snark had survived the crash intact.

The Sith Lord clawed himself free of the safety belts which held him down and slowly rose to his feet. Bracing himself upon the caved in hull, he squinted against the dim interior. Dim. No power. That explained the sudden loss of control. And, while this was not confirmed as fact...it did happen when they approached the suspended Pyramid. Metus' own experience had taught him that such defenses existed. Hell, his Mentor had made a sidearm that did the same thing. Thus, the clear path forward had been established. They had to breach the Pyramid and shut down whatever was powering the affect.

That would prove...difficult...as modern technology was out the window. Comms. Scanners. Everything that would make an operation easier might as well have been chaff. What's more, the life support measures Metus had on his person were not infinite. The filter of his helm was not infallible, the reserve oxygen was not endless, and neither his armor or body glove would save him from the lava. He had to work fast...but also with extreme caution. Stepping gingerly forward, the Sith Lord joined his brother who was surveying the Hellscape. Each step was the furthest thing from comfortable, for the heat and the injuries worked in tandem to make Darth Metus excessively uncomfortable. However, there was no remedying these realities at present.

"We weren't the only ships to go down, I'm sure." he remarked, recalling the briefing that had transpired only a short time prior. "Hopefully, we aren't the sole survivors. Lead on. I will try locate any survivors."

Thus did the Sith Lord defer the road ahead to his sibling whilst he played the part of a glorified comm signal. Drawing a breath, Darth Metus used his predicament as an ally. The Heat was frustrating. The pain was fuel. Together, they aided the Sith in bending the Darkness to his whim. His offhand instinctively rose, as if guiding the malicious tide to the heavens. Then, in but an instant, his presence rippled through the Force. It was a beacon, one that any Sensitive within a respectable radius could feel. The Sith hoped this would be enough to garner a response or, best case scenario, a rendezvous on his position.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"], [member="Aria Vale"], [member="Alkor Centaris"], [member="Darth Interitus"], [member="Sivora Raak"]​

 

[Sivora Raak]

The churning sounds of molten rock slowly creeping along the surface of the planet was all that Sivora could seem to hear among what seemed like an ocean of death. But as she trekked over uneven terrain, nearly slipping and tumbling into an unseen pit of lava, she felt something otherworldly resonate within - turning to a rather specific direction, it almost felt like a calling. Looking around carefully before deciding to head off, Sivora sighed and cautiously maneuvered around and over hazardous obstacles of blistering heat and spontaneous flame.

Sweat trickled down the bridge of the Dathomirian's nose, her breath was heavy and her chest heaving as she tensely calculated every footfall. But then a reminder of her own mortality slowly started to sink in as her skin began to become hot - she was being slowly cooked within her own armor, and she needed to hasten her search for what or who caught her attention. As slow methodical pacing was the main practice of staying alive, it was now replaced with frantic leaps and brief running.

But something was awry - like something was missing, and so something was. One of her lightsabers had somehow become detached from her person and was now slowly sinking into the scorching death before her.

"Dammit..."

Sivora sighed, grimacing as she turned and continued her far from thrilling adventure. But as luck would have it, there were indeed others that appeared to have survived the crash. She could feel the anger and darkness breathing within them, like parasites nestling within a host body - it was foreign, yet familiar. Something that could not be described in words, but on a deeper level of spirituality, it was a concept that she confided with her own ego, a darker instinct that always longed to surface and reveal Sivora's truer wishes, but as per her teachings from childhood to now, she tried to ignore it.

For now she just wanted to live beyond such a miserable environment and predicament. Making herself known to the presence she felt and the figure she saw, Sivora attempted to replicate the ping through the Force that she had felt earlier while steadily advancing.

Perhaps this person would have a brighter idea of how to escape, or at least a solid plan.

[member="Darth Metus"]​

​

[member="Darth Interitus"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"No," Alkor confirmed in a raspy voice, "we were not."

The world shivered at each new touch, silent for countless millennia until the past few minutes. Tremors in the Force wove a tapestry of destruction, agony, and panic that coalesced and intermingled with the world's own noxious energies. He could feel their lives, fragile like bugs trapped in a web and sending vibrations back toward whatever fell power had ripped their ships from the sky.

Whether or not they had survived was another question, and one that Metus could conjure an answer to. Alkor wasted no time, as each new breath was a new world of anguish gifted to his lungs. Sulfur and tar thickened on the roof of his mouth as he choked down unclean air, eyes half open. Alkor spat to wet his tongue again, only to be rewarded with a mouthful of steam that roiled from his lips.

He imbibed poison as the flames beneath his flesh distilled it into air his lungs could use. His body greedily utilized it, and sweat beaded across his form. Alkor took hold of one of the craggy boulders strewn across the path, and in his immense suffering, he gripped it tight enough that it wavered beneath his hold.

Moments later, it fractured and splintered into shards.

"The road ahead is clear," he called back to [member="Darth Metus"] as he skimmed the horizon to be certain. "Nothing has come to this place in a very long time."

He became aware of his Brother, moreso than he had before. The darkness permeated his form and he ceased to hide the power that was his birthright. During their time among the Mandalorians, Alkor had not seen the full extent of what this man was capable of, and often thought he was remiss to hide it. Strength defined a man.

Alkor let out a mirthless chuckle. "You are an odd man, Isley Verd," he said as he rested for a moment and waited for the lure to yield fruit. He held the sulfuric gaze of the Sith Lord evenly. "Those you called your kin were a people who respected strength, and yet, you hid yours from them."

The Jen'jidai spat a gobbet of steaming blood onto the blackened ground.

"Why did you lie to yourself for so long?"

 

[Riktar Tei'ram]

Jaredeth and the ragtag group that he had assembled for this particular mission had been keeping their distance to the Brotherhood's fleet on their way to Mord'Rethar. He was in search of something that he had been for his entire life - his father. The information provided to him by his mother before her death provided him with enough to obtain more information from various sources across the galaxy. All of his years of searching led him up to this point. He was so close to finding him, he knew it, he could feel it.

"Entering the atmosphere sir, but the brotherhood's fleet seem to have fallen off of our radar... I can't figure out why. Ships can't just disappear, something is wrong." a pink Twi'Lek woman operated their radar systems while various other mercenaries and pirates operated the rest.

"What can you see, Grenweld?" the Valkyr replied. He was a rather intimidating man, though looking rather barbaric with what little armour he had on paired with his scraggy beard and scars that covered the vast majority of his face. He was also quite tall, taller than every crew member that was under his command.

"Nothing much, sir. Just a whole lot of orange, brown and... Oh chit." replied a pale human man.

"What is it? Tell me what the hell you-" the man was interrupted by a sharp jerk as the starship's systems shut down. Alarms and flashing red lights followed sharply after. "What the hell is going on?!"

"I... I don't know sir. All of the ship's systems are failing, thrusters are down, controls are down, everything... Everything is gone, sir. We're going down, and fast."

Jaredeth's crew was suddenly overcome with both shock and fear, while the man himself was surprisingly calm. He looked around, smiling slightly. For some sick, horrible reason, their fear fuelled his happiness. The man closed his eyes in anticipation of impact...

To anyone already on the ground, they would see a corvette-sized starship flying over them and descending at a rapid pace. Then, shortly after, a large explosion and a plume of smoke emerging over the volcanic mountains.

Jared was thrown from his seat upon impact, flying across the bridge and narrowly avoiding a large explosion from the controls. A dreadful ringing flooded his ears from the explosion, followed by pain from a piece of shrapnel that had become lodged in his upper thigh. If all of this didn't seem enough, his lungs began to fill with the toxic fumes that made up this planet's atmosphere. Gasping for air, the man dragged his way across the wreckage of what previously was his corvette towards the possible location of a breathing mask. He kept one stored under his captain's chair in case of emergency, in retrospect it probably would've been a better idea to equip the mask before their 'landing', but it was too late now. Jared endured the pain of both the shrapnel in his leg and the stabbing pain in his lungs as he desperately dug through the debris; luckily enough, he found what he was looking for. His hand shook as he quickly brought the mask to his face, inhaling a deep breath swiftly after it was equipped. Rolled over and sighed, relaxing slightly. He had survived - for now.

[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Sivora Raak"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​Mord'Rethar
​Blasted Landscape...

​"Your majesty were going down."

​The descent to the blasted desolate landscape was hard and fast for the black hulled imperial shuttle dropping ever closer to the lava scorched ground. This wasn't supposed to happen not to the Destroyer and not today. Intelligence reports were checked and then checked again, all planetary scans of the area were taken into account beforehand. This should've been a problem that was found in the operations inception and the teams prepared accordingly. But it wasn't. Somewhere along the lines there was a problem whether it was a miscalculation or agent error, someone didn't do their job as thorough as they thought it didn't matter. Bad intelligence was the difference between victory and defeat in war, between life or death in expeditions such as these. Even as the klaxons blared all around Darth Prazutis alerting the ship of its inevitable crash, as Crownguard quickly moved about strapping gear down before strapping themselves into chairs, the Deathlord was absolutely calm.

​He said nothing.

​Just before impact there was a sudden surge in force energy as an erupting bubble of energy formed around him catching the pair of Crownguard and [member="Sarunāties"] sitting around him. The others were left out however they would be left to their own devices just as the shuttle came into contact with the ground as the shuttle was mangled pieces torn from its landing metal twisted and tore scattering gear and parts alike, sparks erupted around the cabin as power surged and darkened. The shuttle nearly flipped to one side before it slammed down quiet. The pitch blackness of the powerless shuttle was interrupted by the glow of force energy that hummed lightly. A few minutes passed each one feeling like an eternity as the three sat motionless in the bubble, Darth Prazutis's eyes clenched shut.

​Then they opened.

​Deep within the darkness of the deathly shroud that concealed him entirely a pair of molten orbs appeared burning with hatred, bathed in the sulfuric yellow of the dark side. The protective shield dissipated by the gesture of his gauntleted hand a brief snap took the straps holding him down off and the Deathlord stood. First the Dark Lord reached out with his attuned senses quickly telling him that life no longer remained in the others that accompanied him, they were all dead. But there was a familiar aura radiating and it wasn't far: [member="Darth Metus"]. Excellent. Many other ships came down scattered across the landscape and fortunately his came down close to the Lord of Dread's. They would find out what happened together and their wrath would cost the offenders everything.

Darth Prazutis rose putting on a rebreather before pushing his hands forward towards the hull of the ship blasting it in telekinetic energy ensnaring the very wall in a vice grip. Hatred fueled his every move as he pulled in a prying motion the very metal was violently torn down the walls middle and in an unnatural motion it was pulled apart. Prazutis swept out of the shuttle with his Crownguard behind him "Reach out through the force across the landscape. The dark side is strong here it emanates from the worlds very core, you will be stronger here. Feel the distant individual auras across the landscape, like torches in the dark. Each person is distinct and different in the force."​ Prazutis said to his apprentice once they climbed from the shuttle, settling on a direction that would take him towards his fellow Lord. "The stronger ones presence in the force is the more powerful they are."

​"Welcome to Mord'Rethar."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Darth Interitus"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

​

​

The Court of Bones
Mord'Rethar Orbit

"Sire, we've lost contact with them."

The worried call came from down in the data pits where entire teams of communication and technical officers busied themselves with the minute-to-minute upkeep of the ship's primary systems, which included the systems used to keep track of the exploratory teams send down to survey the tetrahedral structure that was suspended above a vast lava lake. However, as the ships passed the one kilometer perimeter around the structure they were bathed in some sort of electromagnetic field that disabled everything electronic, forcing them to ground. They were now cut off from each other and the ships in orbit that had ferried them to this long forgotten Sith world.

"Whomever built this place obviously didn't want anyone poking around, which means that something of great worth must exist within." Even from orbit they had no success in scanning the structure itself, which is why it had gone unnoticed during the Sith Lord's original sweep of the planet all of those years ago. It would be foolish to send another team after them, they had to approach this situation intelligently. Besides, he had great faith in the abilities of those he had sent to investigate, if anyone was to come out of this ordeal on top it would be them.

Still, something had to be done.

"Contact wave two and tell them to set up a perimeter outside of the nullification zone, I want this anomaly studied."

[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Sivora Raak"]​

 

[Darth Metus]

One by one our ships fell.

It didn't matter if we were Lords or Thrall, no vessel was immune.

And so, with few options, most turned to the beacon lit by [member="Darth Metus"].

His power. His Darkness. It radiated through the air: a clear and distinct marker for the survivors to follow.

But...We weren't the only ones who answered the beacon. Something else listened. Something else moved.

After the last ship fell, the only rumbling we felt were our footsteps on the charred ground. But. A tremendous tremor ravaged the area. Immediately before the Pyramid did lava begin to spray towards the heavens - displacing as metal ascended.

Maybe this the way ancient Sith knocked on the door...but whatever Metus did caused about a dozen platforms to rise. One after the other, they formed a climable means of getting inside.

We just had to make sure we didn't fall. No pressure.

[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Sivora Raak"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Jaredeth Darkmarsh"]​

 

[Malok]

B O O M​

It seemed that, with each and every passing second, Mord'Rethar claimed another victim. Just as the Sith Lord had begun to exert his presence, hoping that it would attract and gather fellow survivors, an explosive force rocked the ground. Darth Metus was distracted, briefly, and his beacon suffered for it. For a few precious seconds, his extended presence was lost as he assessed the latest victim of calamity. There. In the distance. A corvette had flown into the nullification zone and plummeted into the charred earth. Darth Metus sucked in a breath, centering himself once more. If that was one of theirs, any survivors aboard were Sith. They would feel this. They would be drawn to it.

And so, as [member="Alkor Centaris"] crumbled the obstacle before them did the Sith Lord renew his signal with vigor. This time he did not allow anything to shake his focus. Not the subsequent tremors beneath his feet, nor the words of his sibling. Slow, methodical steps were taken forward as to advance towards the cleared path; and as he moved Darth Metus hearkened to the words of his sibling. It was true, for so long he had withheld his true power. So much so that, at times, the Sith Lord honestly questioned where his limits were. A deep breath was forced from his lungs as he attempted to formulate a proper response...

"I...Tried to fit a Mandalorian mold. I thought that, if I stifled myself, that maybe I could affect them for the better. Lead them out of the stagnation that saw them betrayed and burned. Death afforded me the clarity to know that my time and talents were wasted. So, now, I don't hold back. Nor will I ever again." he began. "What of you? You stand with me. Your power can rival that of any Lord. Yet you walk the path of a Dark Jedi. What inspires you to remain such?"

As the conversation progressed, the Sith's sulphuric gaze wandered over to that which had arisen from the lava flow. Surely, this was the way forward. Darth Metus did not question the how but, rather, was grateful that entering their target was at least straightforward. For this cause did he begin to step in the direction of the platforms, acting as a Beacon the entire way forward.

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"], [member="Aria Vale"], [member="Sivora Raak"], [member="Alkor Centaris"], [member="Darth Interitus"], [member="Jaredeth Darkmarsh"], [member="Darth Prazutis"], [member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave slowly stirred from the slumber he was forced into. One of sleep and dreams of blackness, abysmal discomfort that dug itself deep into his bones. His heads up display offered a few key warnings, such as kinetic contact and heat levels rising, but nothing he really cared about. Lucky for him, his suit kept him mostly intact.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t sore.

With a groan, he stood and pushed the now flimsy cargo door that he had stowed away on, walking out onto the surface of the planet hidden amidst the tools he had brought. With any sensation of him in the force nullified, he wandered towards the towering presence that had given itself away to the surrounding area.

Something dark, distant in nature, and all the more disturbing the closer he got. It was an interesting aura, one he considered thoughtfully as he stepped from lava rock to lava rock; perhaps just what he might do when he got there. He knew the vessel was destined for something related to the Sith, and perhaps his curiosity got the better of him, but to what degree he couldn’t be sure until he had some sort of answer.

His answer it seemed, would be where this essence flared itself, calling forth the various subjects that landed in the area. Nothing that frightened him he supposed, all as he donned the cloaking field attached the suit and let himself fade into the nothingness of the void.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

A wolf among lambs will only lead them to slaughter. Those were his thoughts as Isley spoke of fitting the mold of Mandalorian, and of leading them toward greatness. It was not for a lack of great effort by his brother, or for any failure on his part- the Mandalorian people were, as Alkor had observed first-hand, a ferociously independent sort and altogether unwilling to be led in a standardized direction. They could rise, fall, and rise again-

But they would amount to no more than pillars of salt.

Alkor listened to Metus speak with his eyes on the hazy sky. As a boy in Corellia, he had learned different patterns of stars from spacers, and the areas of the galaxy relative to them. It was stranger on this world, so close to many that he normally kept so distant. What he saw now were familiar worlds, many light years away.

It was an intoxicating sensation. There was so much galaxy, so much that one man could never see in a single lifetime. There was knowledge beyond his wildest dreams, and he could chase it all if he so desired.

Yet Alkor was a simple man, and had always been thus.

Metus asked why, when Alkor had great power, he did not crave more. He asked why the man would not simply ascend the throne and claim his birthright, though so many Dark Jedi before him had answered that same call. The air in his lungs was cool now, and crisp, and the heat in his airways was little more than a dull throb.

Blood and spittle still leaked from the edges of his cracking lips, but Alkor seemed indifferent to his own suffering.

"Because in my life, I have never wanted for anything." He remembered a boy in the streets of Coronet, starved and gaunt, stealing to survive. There was a drugged mother, too far gone to watch her son slip away into petty crime at so precious and age.

Alkor had learned to take what he needed, and he never wanted anything beyond that. None of it appealed to him. The decadence of the wealthy reminded him of rot; as fat men sat with their riches and grew fatter, the strong carved a path through the sickness and remade the galaxy in their image.

But that too was fleeting.

"I have never sought to build an empire of my own, I merely became a tool to sweep away the weakness and allow something new to rise. I watched them erected, and I saw them as they fell away. Power is a means to an end for me."

Isley forged the path ahead at the same time as he spoke those words.

"Never have I had my own path. I lived for most of my life on time bought by others, the product of my own failures." He folded his arms and surveyed the platforms for a moment before he pressed ahead.

"The darkness," he said quietly as he caught up to Isley and matched his strides. "Does not care what we call ourselves. Only that we use it."

He watched the path ahead, eager to see its end. Soon enough, they would find the way.

"Its enemies are my enemies; its children, my people."

[member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Izevel Zambrano]

Appearing quite out of place amongst the surrounding she found herself within. The mysterious woman would glance about the fiery land in silence, a stoic expression presenting itself upon her delicate visage .
Eyes closed for but a brief moment. Long thick black lashes lift to reveal those piercing eyes. An exhale soon left parting lips which form a small smile. Yes, he was here. It was only a matter.. Ahh, yes. There . She called it.


Her head tilted slightly; a Chorus reverberating , and resonating within the wounds of such a fractured world. Such a calamitous aura and presence. Sensations of chaos and darkness beyond the scope of this realm. Familiarity struck a cord within the woman currently paused in her tracks. Symphonic in nature was this idle melody.
Madness. Insanity. Distortion. Corruption. Chaos. Intoxication. Manipulation. Defacement. Defilement.

Such an irresistible gesticulation could not and would not be snubbed. Contrarily this beckoning, enticement of attention had won the intrigue of Izevel. Instantaneously ascertaining the location of the new arrival. Immense power and dark origin easily identified, vexing the harmonious surroundings. Disruption leads to distortion as distance between the pair was closed.


[member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Darth Prazutis"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Aria Vale"] | [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Sivora Raak"] |[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia couldn't help but chuckle at Aria's sarcastic comment, despite the circumstances they were in. "I wonder why there aren't any resorts around here, I bet they would attract hordes of tourists." The sarcastic tone was taken up by the redhead as well. It was her way of dealing with dangerous situations such as this, for better or for worse. Whatever they would come across they would have to deal with on the fly, but that bridge would be crossed when they got there. She was confident in Aria's ability to deal with such matters just as much as herself, so there was no worry coming from her.

Then, the Force around her changed. A presence was felt, much like a beacon, which led Kaalia to focus on it for a moment. "You feel that too, right? We're being called. It seems we are not the only ones who made it out of their ship alive." She turned her head towards where the Force was guiding her, then started walking. "It seems it comes from somewhere around that pyramid, too. Let's go." As the woman finished speaking the ground started trembling. Lava burst up in the distance and platforms arose from the red lake, causing her to pause for a moment. "Whatever happened probably gave us a way to get inside that structure. That should make things easier. I would bet there are more surprises waiting for us though, and I don't think they'll all be as nice as thing one."

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[Ria Misrani]

Mord'Rethar

The sound of alarms were nothing new to Sarunāties. Rather than panic in the sounds or drown herself in fear. She embraced whatever the force may have in store for her. Did she have faith that her master would protect them? No. She had faith that her master would protect himself and perhaps his own legacy. Her faith was well placed as she felt a surge in force energy envelope her.

Their shuttle met with the ground in full force. Men who were not ready to meet with death were silenced in an instant. Metal twisted, ripped away from the main cabin as gear was flung across the lava scorched ground. Lights within the shuttle flickered, on and off until it came on for a final time - and then much like the life within the shuttle. It was gone, extinguished in a violent manner and as they slammed down to their final stop.

She remained silent, motionless - month after month spent tortured by the hands of her master in the tinest space imaginable. It was all she could recall, and the crash - the wreckage around them - it made her want to laugh. As the glow of the force surrounded the pair of Crownguards, her master and herself. Concealed away from the view of all, her eyes closed and she rested there for a moment, and then opened. Sarunāties could feel the darkness, how it spread across the surface of this world. How it called to the depths of her very being.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]'s apprentice felt the tower of a man shift and then rise from his seat. And so did she, rise, removing her own straps as the mask of skull and bones - illuminated by the dark followed after him. As he placed his rebreather on and tore his way onto the surface of this wretched world. Sarunāties turned her head left and then right taking in the view of the planet. She listened to what he had to say, a basic lesson in the force. Rather in sensing those who were strong within it.

"I can feel them, master," her vocabulator distorted her voice, disguising what it would truly sound like, "flickers of power within the force." The stronger ones were easier to distinguish, and just as he said - the Sith felt stronger here. The darkness surrounded them all, and they were the better for it.