- Intent: Expand upon the lore of Talay, the Mistwalker Clan, the Witches of Ryloth and the Knights Obsidian of the Confederacy.
- Image Credit:
Upper Image: Temples of Melchizedek (cover art) Brian T. Collins - Middle image: Forest Steps
- Lower Image: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (screencap)
[*]Canon: N/A
[*]Links: Jorah zos Darnus | Shaol'mara
- Structure Name: The Altar of Storms
- Classification: Religious Temple/Safehouse
- Location: Talay
- Affiliation: Confederacy of Independent Systems
- Nexus Alignment: Neutral
- Size: Small
- Strength: Weak
- Accessibility: Isolated away from the planetary cities, the Altar of Storms is a holy site revered by the Mistwalkers. Located deep within the boglands of Talay, the approach to the Altar of Storms by land is made over difficult swamp terrain. Approach by air is similarly difficult, with the many rivers and loose soil providing little in the way of landing field near the temple structure itself. Most land at Shaol'mara, the closest village with a landing field, and then make their way through the swamp by boat or kayak. Travel from Shaol'mara is a day's journey for most. Or a week (or more) from the City of Talay.
- Description: A small temple situated amid the swamps of Talay's equatorial region, the Altar of Storms is concealed among the mists of the boglands. At its most basic, the structures surrounding and enclosing the altar resemble a Norman-style keep atop a motte-and-bailey, except that most of the keep is underground. Where the above ground perimeter walls have crumbled, dense moss blankets, and thick vines form the walls around the central altar structure.
Those who are Force Sensitive will find that the Force feels differently here than other spots on the planet. Force powers used within the altar are more potent, but also more unpredictable. Force Sensitives may find their consciousness pulled away into a vision. Similar to a certain cave on Dagobah, one will typically only find what they bring with them into the altar. The spirit ichor may obfuscate the path before them, to the point of the temple being seemingly unreachable, or may not even appear at all -- becoming just a ruined structure. The changes within the nexus are slight, yet noticeable to those familiar with the temple. It is said that no two visits to the Altar of Storms is ever the same.
• The Steps (processional/gate). Pictured to the right. The approach to the temple from the ground is easily missed, with the ancient stone steps well covered by moss and vegetation. Winding up to the first gate, as one passed through the entry it is as though the world suddenly opens up. And there, before them, is a temple they had no idea they'd been passing by.
• The Temple (exterior/public structure). The public face of this location, the temple was restored from ruins dating back to more than 1,000 years before the modern era. The temple featured a predominant arch, which formed the entry, supported by two pillars. The large interior chamber was decorated with mosaics and pictographs authored in the Dathomiri script. The back of the temple featured a crypt, with 5 sarcophagi inset into the floor. A hidden door in the crypt chamber led to a turbolift, which was used by the Knights Obsidian to access the safehouse below. A few monastic chambers and private meditation rooms have been added, as well as a small droid corral for the architect droid that serves as the temple's groundskeeper.
• The Altar (temple interior). Within the main chamber of the temple sits the altar. Decorated in the mystic symbols of Dathomir, the altar is surrounded by spirit ichor. Among the holy texts that reside atop the altar is the Talay copy of the Book of the Briar. A Knight Obsidian sword hangs on the wall behind the altar.
• The Safehouse (underground facility). Built from the remains of a Rebel safehouse dating back to the Galactic Civil War, the safehouse was located underground, beneath the temple crypt. Retrofitted with modern communications technology, the base served as both a safehouse and monitoring station. It's location allowed it to serve as a regional telecommunications hub for the Knights Obsidian. The base could provide accommodations for up to 25 personnel comfortably, or as many as 35 in a pinch.
• Infirmary (safehouse). Located within the safehouse, this small medical facility was capable of rendering urgent care, but lacking the full trauma or emergency medicine resources of a hospital, being intended to primarily serve as an aid station. Can stabilize a patient while awaiting evac to a hospital ship or ambulance shuttle to more robust medical facilities on Monastery or Ryloth. The infirmary is overseen by a Nightsister or Shaman.
• Refectory (safehouse). The safehouse contained an open kitchen with cafeteria style seating, where trainees could prepare communal meals or make use of an autochef.
• Hangar Bay. Concealed within the hillside against which the temple is constructed, the hangar bay is connected to the safehouse by way of a pair of underground tunnels. It is a small docking bay, able to accommodate a light freighter and a handful of one-man fighters at best.
Low. In order to maintain a minimalist presence, the Altar of Storms is patrolled by miniaturized surveillance droids, which are easily mistaken for mere insects. A handful of Mistwalkers serve as caretakers of the facility, and can provide physical security if required. The majority of security at the temple relies upon obscurity and mechanical locks or force field barriers to delay intruders while awaiting response from the Knights Obsidian, either from Mistwalker Village, the City of Talay, or points beyond the planet itself.
The Safehouse Central Data Repository
(Harrson Ford not included)
The Nightsisters and Shamans of the Mistwalker Village discovered a place where the ethereal walls between the human world and the spirit realm were weakened. This Force Nexus became sacred to the Dathomiri ex-patriots, who erected a variety of different structures in the location over the next several hundred years since their arrival to the planet Talay circa 1 ABY. There, the Mistwalkers discovered the remains of a Rebel safehouse or watchtower, concealing it beneath the icons of their religious pilgrimage so that they would have a place of possible retreat should an attack on Shaol'mara occur.
Over the next many hundreds of years, the Altar of Storms became an important cultural icon in the life of a Mistwalker Nightsister or Nightbrother, with a pilgrimage to the site being incorporated into the rites of passage for young Talay Dathomirians. During the Gulag Plague, the Nightmothers and Shamans of the Mistwalker Clan would travel to the Altar of Storms in order to divine the will of the spirits. Forseeing the end of the Four Hundred Years Darkness, it was the previous Shaol'ma'ka who spoke of a return of the star people and prepared the Mistwalkers for their eventual contact with the Confederacy.
Many years later, when the planet Talay had joined with the modern incarnation of the Confederacy, the Dathomirians of the Mistwalker Clan connected with their spiritual brethren in the Witches of Ryloth, sharing with them the location of both the Altar of Storms and the safehouse. Thus, to the Mistwalkers, it remains a critical piece of both their culture and heritage, while also being shared with the Mandragora as part of the religion that they both share.
For those Mistwalkers who walk in the path of the Mandragora and serve the Knights Obsidian, the Altar of Storms plays an important role in allowing them to return to their ancestral home without having to make use of the starport in the City of Talay. Instead, they are able to use the Altar as their port of embarkation and then travel from there to Shaol'mara -- essentially conducting the pilgrimage in reverse.
