Private The Best Kept Secrets

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity
Whilstone of Power|| Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian
Voice Sample

The Shaper stood in a sparse, dedicate training hall within the Sith temple on Korrban. Open to the planet's harsh sun and atmosphere the hall's near only feature was a singular, square pit in it's center. Filled with stone obelisks long scored with the hissing, burning blades of lightsabers of acolytes long past, the pit was often used to train acolytes and apprentices in saber combat while also punishing them with a long, painful fall should they be dismounted from one of the pillars. Clad fully in his armor Mithralian with Urfael on his hip he had elected to leave his spear behind for this endeavor, as he awaited the arrival of his requested acolyte.

Though he had already taken two apprentices into his possession, to have them rival and push one-another, the Shaper also had plans for another apprentice. One to train away from the others, who would make a rival of the Shaper himself, while being a more thoroughly possessed tool than Dok or Cyrus, who would be allowed their own pursuits. For Nahla Veyla he would show no such kindness. He had selected her specifically due to her background, her heritage and the warrior culture she was raised in. She would be a tool, a weapon, and one he would see forged to perfection like all weapons he set his hands and mind to shaping. The fact that this one was a living, breathing person made no difference, he would see her brought toward greatness. That is, if she possessed the will to do what was necessary to take it.

By contrast to his plans for Nahla the sniveling worm that brought her before the Shaper, an overseer known as Krennig, was a pitiful sight. A Zabrak of middling Force potential who lapped the boots of every superior Sith who strode in his presence Krennig had been cruel and harsh to Nahla beyond the normal scope of even the Sith's rigorous initiations. Throwing her into walls for the slightest of provocations, shocking her with discharges of Force lightning for even perceived slights and the overly zealous, wasteful kind of temperament the now combined unity of pupose the Sith strove for should have quashed long ago. Yet this toadie had been kept safe in his own little bubble wherein he could believe and say as he wished, licking at the boots of those who could or would punish him, and leveraging what little bit of influence to save him when neither of these things kept him safe.

As Krennig approached the Shaper, Nahla in tow, he bowed to the Shaper as their armored visage gazed down at the two of them. A smug smirks twisting Krennig's lips as he motioned to Nahla. "I have brought the one you requested, my Lord." Krennig straightened and his smile fell as he glanced at Nahla with obvious disdain. "Though why you would show interest in a helpless slave from Tatooine is beyond me...." The Shaper idly waved a hand at Krennig, dismissing his words and silencing the Overseer in one motion, as he approached Nahla with evident purpose. He gazed, eye-to-mask, with this girl as Krennig looked with glee at the training pit. Questioning the Shaper even as he gazed into Nahla's eyes. A quiet, stoic attempt to unnerve the girl as a faceless, masked being whom held her life in their hands. Krennig's words once again piercing the silence as he remarked "An excellent choice my Lord. Tell me, shall I fetch another slave for her to-...." There was an unnatural, wrenching, choking noise from Krennig as he lifted his hands to his throat. His voice failing as he was lifted from his feet, the Shaper's hands never moving and his gaze never leaving Nahla as he remarked to Nahla instead of the Overseer. "No. You will face no slaves, no beasts, no idle tests. Instead this shall be your first lesson."

As silently as possible did another servant the Shaper had summoned come forth, bearing a simple red-bladed Lightsaber that she offered to Nahla on shaky hands. Her gaunt, emaciated body trembling slightly as Krennig writhed in the air. The Shaper's head tilting back just the tiniest bit as he stated "You hate this man. This worm. He has exerted power over you, beaten you, abused you. Made you feel helpless, just as your time as a slave did. Your life until now has taught you the first line of our Code rather well I think, developed by my beloved Sorzus so very long ago. Peace is a lie, there is only passion." The Shaper paused, before motioning for Nahla to take up the Lightsaber, before turning to Krennig who now wept due to his face turning a light shade of purple. The Shaper remarked to Nahla even as he threw Krennig onto one of the pillars in the pit harshly, making him grunt and cough as he broke some ribs. "Let this be your lesson on the second line of our Code. "Through Passion, I gain Strength. Flame your passions, kill this worm for what they have done to you, and I will show teach you the meaning of the rest of our ways." As Krennig began to regain his senses he jumped in shock as he gazed down into the pit, seeing the small... changed the Shaper had made. Several Hssiss lay at the bottom of the pit, hissing and clawing at the pillars and promising sure death for either of the combatants should they be knocked with.

 

[Nahla Veyla]

Nahla hated the man.

For some reason unknown to her, Overseer Krennig had made her life a living hell ever since she had entered the Sith Academy and donned the acolyte robes. He had beaten her, thrown, shocked and constantly taunted her in front of the rest of the group. But she persisted. She wasn’t about to let scum like him win and break her so easily just like that. She had survived under the slavers and the harshful cutthroat life of living alone in Tatooine, and the Epicanthix will do just the very same here. She’d come to the conclusion that the Zabrak just hated her, for none of the other overseers had treated her like he had.

She didn’t even care whatever the reason could be. What was the use of wasting time on such a useless thought? Despite the frequent punishments from Krennig who saw fit to punish her at every single slightest opportunity he had, Nahla had risen to the top, proving that she was a force to be reckoned with, which seemed to agitate the overseer even more than otherwise. If he had been expecting for her to to just fall over and cower as she accepted her fate, he had picked on the wrong target to begin with. That very morning, she had been pulled aside from her duties by the loud familiar grating sound of Krennig’s voice, something she could most certainly do without.

The Zabrak was grinning menacingly, and whenever he did that, nothing good followed. Nahla promptly began to mentally prepare herself for what would seem like the first series of “punishments” for the day. Tugging her by the sleeve of her thin acolyte robes, he mentioned that she had a very important visitor, someone who she did not want to disappoint, but surely will. She was eventually brought to meet this visitor, and the drastic change of behaviour she noticed from Krennig was enough to tell her that this was someone indeed very important and high up in the ranks. He had an inexplicable dark aura about him that she could feel emanating from him.

Nahla’s eyes met with the Sith Lord and she tried her best to not display any sign of weakness. Brief moments passed and Krennig was suddenly in the air, choking from the power of the Sith. The visage of the Sith Lord that faced her then was as cold as ice. A lesson. Of what? She had no time to question herself further as an emancipated servant came out of nowhere, bearing a weapon she recognised as a lightsaber. Words came from the Sith visitor once more, this time more hateful and true that Nahla felt the emotions kept under wraps were threatening to surface. He spoke of her suffering and encouraged her hatred for Krennig. The first two lines of the Sith code was recited and Nahla felt something malevolent stir within her. Without further hesitation, the Epicanthix grabbed the lightsaber, igniting the crimson blade as she stepped forth onto the first of the pillars to meet the man who had tormented her so. It was time for payback.

Arctus Silmar ​

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity
Whilstone of Power|| Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian
Voice Sample

The Shaper watched with a cold, stoic demeanor as Nahla Veyla took the offered lightsaber from his grasp. The fact that not a word had left her lips in response to the orders given to her could prove to be both incredibly promising or exceptionally worrying. He was inclined to believe the former given the bubbling, seething resentment he felt coming from her. She hardly needed any coaxing to vent her justified frustrations upon the overseer and given how poorly Krennig had handled his.... placement on the pillars it would leave him at a disadvantage. Also, considering the blood currently dribbling down his chin Krennig seemed to be handling the broken ribs even worse than Shaper had thought.

Huffing with indignation Krennig rose to his feet on the pillar, legs shaking slightly at first, as his left arm cradled his midsection his right hand drew a lightsaber from his belt and ignited a bronze-hued blade. Smirking at Nahla with supreme confidence as he questioned. "Oh, you're approaching me?" His features then twisted into sudden rage as he spat. "Foolish girl. If it weren't for this.... this..... thing taking an interest in you I would have you lick the Tuk'ata dung from my boots!" In response to Krennig's seething, snarling words the Shaper's voice was cold and firm as he told Nahla "Kill him Nahla. Take the vengeance that you deserve."

Krennig glared daggers at the Shaper, his fury toward the Sith only restrained by the obvious gulf in power between them, before he extended a hand toward Nahla and unleashed a torrent of Force Lightning. Not directed at Nahla directly, but instead the gout of blue lightning slammed into the stone pillar beneath her feet, cracking and breaking the pillar. Causing the top portion Nahla stood upon to begin to rock and slide down toward the eagerly snarling Hssiss below. Krennig's mouth began to open before the Shaper would then speak over the oversser. "Overseer Krennig, should you defeat this girl, she will no longer be an acolyte. Instead, she will be given an inhibitor collar, and be placed as a slave udner your personal care."

Krennig blinked, stunned for a brief moment, before he licked his lips and gazed with predatory malice at Nahla. Snarling as gathered the Force in his left hand, wincing as he had to move it from his limbs, a low, pained chuckle leaving him as he grinned maliciously. "Ohh.... I see now. Very well then my Lord, I shall be the Empire's instrument in breaking this trash."

 

[Nahla Veyla]

Nahla had kept her eyes focused entirely on the overseer in front of her. Not once had she turned back to offer a since glance back at the Sith giving the orders. Krennig was such a spineless toad. The clear lack of reverence in his voice towards the very Sith he had been addressing as ‘My Lord’ earlier had been switched to ‘The Thing’. Such an utter scum like him should never have the power to succeed. The Zabrak called her foolish, but now armed with a proper weapon, was she really a fool? It may be true that she had no prior experience fighting with a lightsaber, but in terms of combat experience, that was definitely not something she lacked.

She would even go as far to say that she had been in far more real combat situations than the toady Krennig had ever experienced during his whole tenure as an overseer tormenting acolytes here at the Sith Academy. The enigmatic Sith visitor spoke once more, urging her to kill him once more. “With pleasure, my Lord.” The very first words spoken by Nahla through the whole encounter. The Epicanthix was fast and agile, she had to be, surviving on her own back in the hostile wastelands of Tatooine. As soon as the lightning struck the pillar she was standing on, causing it to crack and tremble, the acolyte was already off it, making her way to the next pillar, and another, rapidly closing the distance while Krennig kept himself occupied listening to the Sith offering a reward for her defeat or demise, whichever came first. None of them would happen today. Being scum that totally lacked any form of backbone, furthermore with an enticing reward up for grabs to further motivate him once more, the reverence returned to his tone once more, addressing the Sith visitor as 'My Lord' once more, no longer the more insulting variant he had used previously.

Nahla closed to striking range of Krennig, just as the man had just so happily replied to the order he had been given just a brief moment ago. Navigating across pillars like this was an easy feat for her, no more difficult than traversing the gigantic starship wrecks of the Tatooine. Without warning, she swung the crimson blade in a heavy malevolent vicious arc towards the Zabrak.

Arctus Silmar ​

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity
Whilstone of Power|| Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian
Voice Sample

Nahla Veyla 's response to his command to kill Krennig firmly tilted the Shaper's indecision into her usual silence and obedience being a 'positive' thing. in his mind. The change in the overseer's demeanor was not at all lost on the Shaper and as he watched Nahla easily navigate the footing of the pillars he added another mental note to what he remembered from her documentation. As he already had in mind what his first tests would be for her, how he would mold, break and reshape her into a warrior truly worth of the Sith. As well as worthy of whom she wanted to be herself, that she would never be helpless again if she grasped the power he offered her.

As Nahla approached Krennig the overseer snarled in anger at her and, using his Force-fueled rage, met her wrathful strike with a raised, angled block of his bronzed blade. Grunting in pain as the pressure was put on his injured ribs and being barely able to hold the clashing blades from cleaving straight into his skull. Krennig snarled in a partly-gurgling voice "I won't die to a SLAVE like you." Using the Force energy gathered in his free hand Krennig would unleash a potent Force Push at Nahla's legs, looking to unbalance her.

Shoving Nahla's saber away toward the direction his blade was angled Krennig would then throwing his lightsaber toward Nahla while beginning to channel the Force once more. Coughing and struggling to endure the pain of his broken ribs while also feeding off of the pain it caused him. His eyes blazing with impotent rage as he outstretched his hands toward Nahla and snarled "Now. Submit." Force Lightning would arc from Krennig's fingers toward Nahla as he would spit out a glob of blood and taunt her. "You were a slave once and now you will be one again. MY slave. It's what you are destined for, what you deserve."

The Shaper would calmly cross his arms over his chest and watch this display. Were it not for Nahla's Epicanth heritage he would speak to her telepathically but, he supposed, she would be a case in allowing him study into circumventing this.... problem. An entire race of mentally immune Sith was both interesting to the Shaper and a problem. While their supposed immunity meant they would never be met with issues of will directed against their mind, it posed a distinct and notable weakness should someone devise a way to circumvent this genetic advantage. Which, he supposed, was something that would behoove him to research.

 

[Nahla Veyla]

Unsurprisingly, her blow was parried by the Overseer, their blades clashing as a show of strength put their skills and strength to the test. That would have been too easy, wouldn’t it? Nahla may not have much experience fighting with the lightsaber, but she had plenty of experience in combat with a plethora of other types of weapons and she would never hesitate to use what she had at her disposal. To do so would be a great discredit to herself. Win by any means necessary, had always been something she had stood by before, and there was no reason to stop now. Krennig had since gone into a somewhat self-induced rage, talking plenty now as he vented his hatred for her. None of his words affected her as she has long learnt to tune out all the unnecessary babble.

Her keen eyes watched out for the Force Push he was getting ready to knock her off balance, and it would have certainly worked had she not been as agile as she was. Stepping clear out of the way of danger, now came another as Krennig once put forth another blast of Force Lightning that came towards her. She had the option of dodging it, but doing so would once again put her further away from the Zabrak, potentially prolonging the battle. She was beginning to tire of this farce. Besides, she knew she could take a one hit like this if it meant that she could finish off the blasted scum once and for all. Intentionally stepping into the path of the force lightning, Nahla took it full on. Pain wracked through her entire person as it struck her full on, the shock pulsing through her every system, but her endurance held firm. She may have a little worse for wear, but the pain wasn’t unlike anything she had endured before.

Shaking the momental pain off with an abrupt revengeful cry, she retrieved two improvised throwing shivs from within her robe and flung them with an acute accuracy aimed for his lower torso. As soon as the shivs left her hand, she charged forth with a powerful blade strike aimed for his upper torso. Overseer Krennig would find himself backed into a corner. If he was quick and agile enough, he would find himself with enough time to block one of the two attacks coming his way.

Judging from his already weakened state, Nahla reckoned that she might just have scored here.

Arctus Silmar ​

 

[Arctus Silmar]

The Shaper

The Iron Crown|| Whilstone of Prowess|| Whilstone of Acuity
Whilstone of Power|| Acharn|| Urfael|| Mithralian
Voice Sample

Of all the reactions to the Overseer's display of Force Lightning neither he, nor the Shaper for that matter, expected Nahla Veyla to willingly step into it's path. Absorbing the pain-inducing lightning and drawing the shivs from her robes, the Overseer's expression turned from one of gleeful enjoyment of Nahla's pain, to a look of worry and anger that she was still able to move and function under the onslaught of his lightning. The Overseer's teeth clenched, his eyes narrowed, and drool began to forth from the corner of his mouth in effort as he gurgled out a low curse at Nahla. The tips of his fingers charring and blackening from his imprecise control of his lightning and the sheer effort he forced into it to put Nahla down.

In the next moments the shivs Nahla threw found their mark and, grunting loudly in pain, the Overseer's lightning briefly intensified in power before the combination of pain, blood loss and his broken ribs caused him to drop to one knee. Sputtering and wheezing helplessly as Nahla bore down on him like a vengeful spirit. His wounds compounding to the point that he was unable to block her attacks, and barely even attempt to dodge them. The Overseer rocked back, the strike to his torso llanding and nearly slicing him in half, his eyes widening briefly as he gazed up at her. Anger flooding his eyes for a brief moment before dissipating entirely.

Before he died Krennig looked up into Nahla's eyes, hissing and gurgling out his dying words to her. "Y-You..... You will ALWAYS be a slave." His eyes dulled, but flicked from Nahla, to the Shaper, before returning to Nahla's eyes as he rasped his list. "If not... m-mine.... then HIS." Krennig's eyes would roll back in his head, his body going slack, before he tumbled from the pillar down into the darkness. The Hssiss greedily pouncing upon his corpse and devouring it in a sickening staccato of tearing, wet and crunching noises as flesh was rent asunder and bones with snapped like twigs amid their powerful jaws. With her adversary overcome the Shaper approached Nahla, fading in and out of shadow to move between the pillars without a sound, before coming to stand behind her on the pillar of her victory.

When he spoke he laid a hand on Nahla's shoulder, his voice low and instructive as he motioned to the barely-there corpse of Krennig and the Hssis that had devoured him. "Let this be a lesson, my new Apprentice. Your pain, your anger, can bring you to the precipice of victory, to stand above the defeated and the monstrous alike." His grip on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly, the briefest of pauses, before his hand moved from her. "But never allow yourself to become complacent. The Sith, like any organism or craft, constantly evolve and redesign themselves to survive the future. Power can take one so far and then.... if you cannot evolve, cannot adapt, you die." The Shaper held out a hand to take back the simple blade he had given Nahla for this trial "Come, we shall see to making your own blade, as well as your first lessons under me."