Dominion The Bryn'adûl | Charted Course of the Diamondback Celestial - Dominion of Krinemonen III

[Primal Architect]

The Bryn'adûl | Charted Course of the Diamondback Celestial - Dominion of Krinemonen III

When the Bryn'adûl arrived at Krinemonen, its vast oceans had been boiled and its shipyards destroyed. Studies showed that this was not the work of the Sith, but something else entirely. The Ish'makra commanded that no installations be built upon the surface until security was assured. Surveillance however has continued in secret for months, studying the system in hopes of discovering the source of this destruction.

This research has returned empty handed, until now. The Draelvasier's reluctance to enter the system did not go unnoticed, the remains of the shipyards were picked for salvage and scrap. However, none of the pirates or salvagers ever made it out of the system. No remains were found, as if they had been blinked out of existence entirely.

It was then that the Seers found the answer, the thin veil of the force discovered on Draemidus Prime was not a singular occurrence. Indeed, it was more than that. Thin veils in the force are appearing all across Bryn space, most contained. Others? Are not. Krinemonen has released something nicknamed 'the diamondback celestial' by nearby Bryn listening posts.

And only now, has it reared its terrifying head.

Objective: Discover
Several Bryn'adûl ships have gone silent, including our listening outposts in the past few hours. Investigate.

Objective: The tears
The planet's oceans have been boiled, killing nearly all of the amphibian creatures on the planet. The force is warped here, help the Seers and Ashaka seal these tears.

Objective: Insanity Prelude
The remaining Sith and natives on the planet have been driven rabid by a strange unending scream resonating from the depths of the sea. Eliminate the remainder of the Sith and native militia.

Spoiler: Tags:

Tathra Khaeus | Primal Architect | Osam | Sethrak | Keldothera | Galak | Amunra Khaeus | Seer Kalanthir | Ursa Antar | Drekarys Kel |

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 1
Objective: Insanity Prelude

Something was different this time. Sethrak had seen enough battles that he had stopped counting. This time things felt...off. The Oceans were boiled and the shipyards were destroyed yet The Sith hadn't done it. There were few groups that Sethrak knew of that would do something so extreme. The Sith and The Bryn were two of those groups, yet they weren't the cause. That left very few possibilities. Was this the doing of some creature unknown to the Bryn?

Sethrak didn't fear much, even beasts much larger than him such as The Bendu didn't scare him much. But knowing that an entire ocean was boiled by something or someone made The Warlock realize that whatever they were going to find on the surface was much stronger than he could imagine. Not even scavengers had made it out of the planet alive. It felt like the Bryn were walking towards their annihilation. Some things were meant to be left alone.

With him on this trip were a handful of Drael from Sethrak's planet, but this time he took the experienced ones. Young Drael wouldn't be any good if the Bryn were to fight the being below. As weapons he had picked a variety of weapons to help in any situation. First, a Spitter bow, for long range engagements as well as a tool to traverse the unique terrain caused by the boiled ocean below. For melee he chose the Shadow's Kasurigama, the multiple blades and chain would allow attacks from all angles and varying distances.

For the first time, Sethrak chose to equip armor rather than relying on his own mobility and toughness. His choice was the
Kreshden Theron armor, allowing for mobility but offering more protection than his natural toughness. He hoped it would be enough.

His mission wasn't to find the source of the destruction, but instead to finish off any Sith and militia in the area. Reports claimed that these Sith and their militia had been driven insane by something. This also worried The Warlock. The Sith were strong, both physically and mentally, what could have caused them to go insane? Would the Bryn be able to resist the source of the Siths' insanity?

The Warlock took a breath, waiting for the order to begin the mission.

 

[Osam]

Post 1
Objective: Explore

It was unnervingly quiet. Space itself was always relatively somber, but this was another level of silence. The normally excitable Sraelvun that had been placed under his command were frustratingly still, their eyes glued to distant bulkheads and walls of fleshy matter, their tongues firmly placed within their cheeks and unwilling to vanish from those strongholds for an instance.

This particular listening post had been constructed within an orbit around Krinemonen III. While Osam was not privy to exactly how long it had remained within the grasp of the cosmic body below, he was familiar enough with the signs of life that were indicative of a long-deployment. There had been no trouble docking with the small outpost, nor boarding it... but there that unnerving silence struck again.

Something had gone terribly wrong. He would discover the source of this wicked oblivion - he hoped he did not regret it.

 

[Seer Kalanthir]

Objective: The Tears
Post: One

The air was stale, lifeless. Kalanthir felt his feet weaken, coming out from under him as the Gunboat's deployment hatch opened outward onto the continent. The Seer's communion with the force made this world's boundless energy almost overwhelming.

The force had become so warped, so twisted. The power required to do such things, he could not comprehend. Perhaps the Bendu had chosen a new home, and had twisted its vices into darker moods. Darker, twisted things. The boiled ocean stank of fish, the local amphibians cooked as they slept.

The insanity, it screamed out from the depths of the ocean but indeed it was amplified by the tears around the continents, like miniature nexus' of the force.

 

[Osam]

Post 2
Objective: Explore

The most vital portion of the investigation involved locating the crew who had been aboard the listening post. If they were able to determine where they had gone, and what had happened to them, then they would be able to investigate their claims and reports more fully. Even a corpse would provide a reasonable amount of information, though Osam held out hope that someone aboard the post had managed to avoid the utter annihilation that had seemingly been undergone planetside.

Osam cast a glance back toward the Sraelvun placed under his command, observing as they meekly stepped onto the listening post for the first time, apparently overcoming whatever primal fear had seized them upon arrival. "Begin a thorough sweep. Watch for traps. Report fallen. Speak regularly." He spoke, accustomed to the short commands needed to effectively dispatch his Drone kindred. They were simpletons at heart, and the shorter his message the easier it would be for them to digest.

As the Drones went about the menial process of scouring the facility for evidence, the hybrid performed his own investigation, approaching one of the nearer consoles and beginning to sift through whatever data had been set within it. Manipulating the stones was a slow process for one more accustomed to battle than literature, but he recognized the importance of guaranteeing there was no final report which would be indicative of the post's fate.

 

[Keldothera]

Objective: The Tears
Post: One
Tags: Seer Kalanthir

The journey to the surface was hard, her stomach turned three times over before they even hit orbit. Everything felt wrong here, the entire system was coated with a spiritual fog that all but dulled her senses. Like anticipation of nausea that never came, distracting.

The otherwise talkative Seer she'd been assigned to was all but silent on the way down, staring at the deployment hatch until they landed. Keldothera let her Juggernauts form a perimeter as the Seer collapsed, Keldothera taking her own rifle into hand at that point.

"Ashaka here, now! Seer, are you alright?" Keldothera leaned down to him, eyes on the dead horizon.

 

[Galak]

Objective: Insanity Prelude
Post: One

Galak's fist found itself lodged in the crushed metal of the Sith's helmet. Another ran at him, screaming with blaster rattling off in hand. The plasma rounds burned against his armour to no result as his left hand grasped the head of charging Sith firmly in his grasp. He threw the Sith to the wall behind them, crashing through a few crates as he used his foot to wrench his own hand free from the crushed helmet of the other.

The body toppled as Galak turned to the other, wrist blades extended as he rose from the crates. Galak thrust the twin blades into the troopers centre mass, impaling him before retracting the wrist blades. The body fell.

Galak had plenty of encounters with the force, he wasn't afraid of whatever was making that screaming happen. He'ddo his job, and kill any crazy fools left on the planet.

"10th Regiment, report."

 

[Hrajlmak'Natok]

Objective: The Tears
Post: One
Tags: Seer Kalanthir Keldothera

Emerging from the lander craft, a duo of Warlocks in toe, Hrajlmak smelled the air. The others made landfall and grouped together in the area. This world was a morbid thing. Nearby, a Seer assigned to this mission collapsed as they took their first steps onto the world's mangled surface. Hrajlmak's head spun and he glanced at the fallen Seer, but his attention was yet drawn to what couldn't be seen. His head, usually filled with the symphony of other minds under his command, was now only a sea of erratic noise. Whatever had left its mark here was alien to him in every sense of the word. He struggled for coherence and found none. But of course such things were not within his realm of competence. The nuance of the cosmic energy was the Seer's job. Ideally he thought, glancing at the struggling Seer once again.
He took a few steps further, mulling the report in his head. Oceans boiled, and the system itself a void. Looks as though whatever was here has done our job for us he humoured. He couldn't help but be impressed with the ocean boiling.

 

[Primarch Drek'ma]

Objective: Insanity Prelude
Post: 1

Not only this world, but this entire system was strange. So devoid of life, yet some survived on the surface - this was the most peculiar of the details. He needed to find one of the natives, and thusly he followed a thermal trail to the coldest place left on the surface of the planet.

It was a cave, its exterior surrounded by water on the edge of the beach - Sith and amphibian creature bodies alike surrounding the entrance. He did not understand what had happened, but he would.

With an outstretched palm, he felt through the force to find life within the cave. But, rather than nothing or something he felt static instead. Dead air, noise without distinction. It was strange, but his curiosity had the better of him.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Objective: Discovery
Post: One

A large crimson paw forced opened the door, a gush of cold air escaping the inside of the Outpost as if it had been sealed airtight, strangely like a vacuum. Tathra took two steps in, feeling the cold and crystallised floor under foot, his breath visible in front of him. He raised his gauntlet, eyeing the room.

"Listening outpost Galeleo discovered, investigating now." Tathra lowered his gauntleted fist, tense at his side as his eyes shifted - his vision warping to see the heat radiating from the room.

Nothing, no heat. No heat at all bar what came from his own body. Strange.

Tathra continued through the entrance of the outpost to the corridor before the control centre, but it appeared the door was locked. It didn't seem to be frozen shut, yet as he tried to pry it open he found a strange level of resistance. The Titan peered shifted his stance, using both hands to try and force it open.

 

[Osam]

Post 3
Objective Discovery

They'd been observing for far longer than Osam had originally anticipated if the logs were to be trusted. To the credit of whoever had been placed in charge of the facility, their notes were quite detailed, and he could easily follow through their reports. Apparently, some manner of catastrophe had befallen the planet below, and the listening post had been established in order to determine the source of the annihilation. It was imperative to their purposes that they understood what was causing the devastation before they moved into the territory themselves.

Yet, as he continued the read, the symptoms of the disaster were present without an evident cause. The oceans had begun to heat to the point of boiling, and any expeditions to the surface had revealed the fact that a vast majority of life on the world had been exterminated. Furthermore, whatever sapients still survived on the world had apparently been exhibiting behavior that was increasingly erratic and uncensored.

Could that have affected the Draelvasier aboard the observation post, considered the First as he began to peer through the reports with a greater speed, determined to see if there was any gradual shift in their quality. In the end, he was able to conclude that there was a very slight loss of quality to the reports as time continued on, but that could be attributed as much to a sense of boredom and isolation as anything. Nothing screamed out "here I am, I am the cause", and so he continued until he had reached the final report.

 

[Galak]

Objective: Insanity Prelude
Post: Two

Galak didn't get time to respond, another maddened trooper rushed him - grappling at his lower half as he thrust his elbow into the nape of the Sith's neck, loosening his grip - grabbing him by his right shoulder with both hands before throttling him through the air into the wall.

Another came from the lockers, vibro-sword in hand. The blade cut into Galak's hip, the Juggernaut growled; pain shooting through his body. His left arm shot low taking the sword in his metal grasp, forcing the hilt upward and slamming it into the Sith's throat as his right gauntlet came back, wrist blades slashing hi in half.

The trooper he'd thrown earlier leapt at him only to be caught mid-air, face clutched in his palm. Galak forced him low, repeatedly stabbing the spasming Sith until his body went limp. Reckless, suicidal even.

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 2
Objective: Insanity Prelude

Sethrak's detachment had departed their transport in a hot zone, the crazed Sith and Militia concentrated the area heavily. Within seconds on his feet hitting the ground Sethrak had been confronted by two of the crazed humanoids. He wasn't the only one. All around him his troops engaged the enemy. He made short work of his foes, then turning to observe his troops. Most of them did fine, a few were unfortunate enough to be singled out by a group of the maniacs. Natural selection.

In a few short moments the Bryn had finished the immediate threat. He had chosen the landing zone himself due to the revelation of a cave that was once under the Ocean water. He didn't know how quickly the Ocean had been vaporized, it was possible that there would be survivors -insane or not- in this cave. He couldn't kill his fear, it had evolved. No longer was it a simple "bad feeling." Now it was as if The Force screamed at him to run, to hide, to curl up into a ball and beg for mercy. From this fear came anger. He should be able to control his emotions better. Fear is for the weak.

His losses were minimal and the battle was over. Afraid, but determined, the Warlock telepathically ordered his troops forward.

 

[Adrian L'lerim-Vandiir]

Reidun Amersis
The Little Girl, Zealot minor​

Objective: Discover
Location: Outside the outpost, Krinemonen III
Equipment: 2x Barad kukri | The Bryn’adûl Pulverizer | Barad Special Operations Armour
Tag: Open

Reidun also entered the Krinemonen III system after both the ships and the outpost fell silent. She thought there might have been some kind of attack, possibly an ion storm, that was interfering with communication. In any case, she volunteered for the task of going to the outpost and helping to find out what had happened at that place. Lately, everything has been very quiet anyway, so a little training opportunity has come in really handy.

And this task was great for all that. When she arrived, she could already see that she was not the only one to come for this task and since apparently the majority had headed for the building first, the girl decided that she would look around outside first to see if she could find any clues there that might help them. Because she hadn't seen anyone outside yet.

Unless someone asks her why she’s going where she’s going, or she’s just getting ordered to keep up with the others, she’s going outside. She immediately saw the devastation - albeit she already saw it during the landing - , which was pretty scary, even in terms of what they used to leave behind on other planets. She had no idea what might have happened here. Just hoped it wouldn’t happen again when they were here.

She looked at the others once more, then turned her back on the facility and began the investigation.

 

[Seer Kalanthir]

Objective: The Tears
Post: Two
Tag: Keldothera | Hrajlmak'Natok

The Seer rose as the General neered him, pushing himself to his feet and staggering away from the Gunboat. He could feel so many threads through the force, eyes on him. His sense shifting to those looking to him, whatever creature had done this could no doubt sense the insects. Such as they were, crawling on the back of its mind.

I am well. Do not fret, child.

He reassured, hands aloft at his side. He needed to find these tears and close them before his strength waned. He outstretched his palm, allowing the force to guide his internal compass.

West.

The Seer began his path forward, cutting through the ashen-laden soil with each step.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

Objective: Discovery
Post: Two

He managed his fingers into the grooves of the doorway, pulling as hard as he could he heard something shatter as the door gave way completely. Tathra looked on in horror at what he saw, a Drone completely frozen against the door. Now, torn in half from one side of the doorway to another, splintered segments between. He crouched down, looking at the frozen Drone. Its arm reached up for the controls, the Drone had been trying to escape. But what?

Whatever had boiled the ocean had also frozen his Drael solid. A troublesome note, it had control of both the elements. He rose, slipping past the frozen corpse, further along the corridor were other bodies - Aeravalin were cooked alive, their armours stripped away from their bodies. Baedurin and Sraelvun frozen in their armours like tombs of ice.

It ruffled his proverbial feathers. He moved to the next door, able to open it with a single hand. Luckily, nothing attached to the door as he moved into the command centre.

 

[Hrajlmak'Natok]

Objective: The Tears
Post: 2
Tags: Seer Kalanthir Keldothera

The landscape a desolate wasteland, the mind a chaotic sea of noise. The juxtaposition was violent, and only served to tear apart the integrity of living things from the inside out. But the unit deployed here had been put together for a reason. They would struggle on for this expedition and remedy whatever malicious abhorrence in the cosmic energy was hidden here. The Seer of the nearby unit gathered himself and began finally to lead the way. Hrajlmak spoke voicelessly to his Warlocks and the unit fell in line. With the mission now beginning in earnest, Hrajlmak pondered the Draelvasier he was amongst. Many military authorities that were new to him he had already familiarised himself with on the way to this peculiar system, many he was yet to understand. Things seems to change fast when you are so far detached from them.

 

[Primarch Drek'ma]

Objective: Insanity Prelude
Post: 2

He cautiously entered the cave, feeling the overwhelming dampness of the air. It was strange, entirely different in how it felt compared to the rest of the planet. The Primarch continued inward, slowly moving through the dark as his feet finally found water. He looked down, a small puddle at his feet.

If anything was in here, now they knew he was too. No need for subtlety now, he charged the pearl in the head of his Staff with energy through the force - blowing on it as it lit up the entire cave well enough for him to see.

Drek'ma continued slowly, hand held behid his back with a sliver of lightning parked beneath his fingertips as he continued forward.

Ahead he could hear skittering, like whispers.

 

[Galak]

Objective: Insanity Prelude
Post: Three

Galak moved through the facility at a slow pace, wrist blades drawn for the next crazy to come at him. There had been almost none for a minute as he reached a two door hatch before the next room.

"Be careful, they'll risk their own skin to hurt you."

There was no response of acknowledgement, but he hoped he was heard regardless. He opened the door, moving into the hatch. His steps thumped against the metal floor, blades drawn as his shadow met the doorframe of the exit. His eyes caught it first, the shadow next to him. Then his ears, a heavy breathing from behind him.

When he turned, Galak side-stepped pivoting out of the way as the trooper lunged - striking him in the back. The Sith crashed into the ground by his own momentum and his strike. The Sith rose rushing him with completely disregarding as he readied his wrist blades.

 

[Osam]

Post 4
Objective: Discovery

The final report was instantly recognizable as different from those that had preceded it. There had been no date provided to indicate exactly when the events had taken place, nor was the writer of the information clarified. Osam manipulated the stones, urging the document to continue forward as he attempted to skim through the available data. Whoever had been responsible for writing the final report had clearly been a different individual than the one who had been responsible for every other filing. The prose was sporadic, the sentences terse and unfinished.

There had been an emergency of some form across the station. The crew had deemed it necessary to abandon their position, because of the encroaching of an unidentified entity. Unable to freely abandon the solar system, and uncertain of when support might arrive to free them, they had deemed it necessary to land onto Krinemonen III. A series of coordinates and a rough geographical map revealed where they would attempt to gather upon landing so that their rescuers would know where to seek them.

How long had they been down there, though? Were they still alive?

"Inform the Carriers that there may be listening post survivors at the following coordinates..."