Private The Calling

[Darth Nwul]

Xuaquarres

There were secrets in the galaxy, things that had been left behind by those in the past, those forgotten and those remembered in night terrors. Cold whispers in the dark that reminded those who sought them out just how dangerous their path was. Terrible warnings. That chill down the spine you felt when you stepped a bit too close to the edge. There were places that embodied these things. Some were greater than others. Some were more terrible. And some... were just wrong.

The gates shuddered against the terrible will that demanded they open. They slid apart, dust falling from the ceiling. A solitary figure walked through, leaving behind a pair of hooded individuals who stood at either side of the gates. The lights came on, power having been restored during the last visit. The traps had all been disengaged. All that was left was to explore. But the figure had decided he wouldn't be alone. No. A call in the force, quiet, subtle, irresistable, a clarion that rang out in the shadows and grew louder when the recipients neared mirrors. A low tone telling them without words where they needed to go. Those that heard it had only one thing in common, destiny.

The halls of the last untouched storehouse of Darth Sidious gleamed and rippled with the ambient heat of the man who stood in the entryway. Or rather, the monster. Darth Nwul Shasot'ari had gone through one transformation after another. He had absorbed great power through the restoration of Thule. He had consumed the memories, experiences, and emotions of millions during the process and through it created the Jensaa. The creatures served as a hive mind for him, expanding his conciousness and granting him processing power beyond the mortal ken. Yet it hadn't been enough when he had faced Carnifex. No. The neophyte Dark Lord had realized that he had been merely playacting. Greater wisdom lay ahead of him and he had been forced to face his own impotence. He had used the Dark Lord as a whetstone, a forge, a crucible to compress himself into something new, something far greater.

A Dark Lord had been born that day. A monster who could breathe death across a world. A true imperial contestant.

Nwul stood at the apex of the room, his robes open across his bare chest, revealing tanned skin tinged with golden gleam. His veins glowed beneath his flesh, a bright yellow that spread from his navel to his chest, arms, and neck. His molten gold eyes burned with all emotions at once, a beautiful and terrible spectrum of power. What once was an unending storm of passion around the Lord of Passion was a controlled and honed crystalization of emotion. Emotion in its purest state, neither joy nor hate, neither rage nor love, but something purer and incomprehensible at the same time. All thanks to the man who had tested him and pushed him to become more than a mere sith.

He stood in silence, unmoving in a state between wakefulness and meditation. His thoughts turning to the galaxy and to his own passions. He still could not see beyond the worlds that contained his mistborn children, but one day soon he would possess the sight beyond sight that Empyrean had. He craved that power just as he craved other great gifts. He had seen much in the hands of Carnifex. It would be his one day, he just had to be patient.

A presence drew his attention, his eyes became focused again, his intent landing on the person who had been greeted by his daughters and allowed inside. He did not speak but he did smile. Not a cruel smile, or a mischevious smile, but rather the smile of a father welcoming a child home after a long trip away. Warmth radiated off of him in waves as his love washed across the room with enough weight to bring a normal person to bitter, homesick tears. He didn't have to say it, but those that approached felt it.

I've been waiting.

 

[Lord Kalrath]

Xuaquarres
Tags: Darth Nwul , Quinn Varanin , Astrid pentoghast

​

Kalrath had come here expecting to find the Graveyard of the Dragons. It was here that the ancient Duinougwuins were laid to rest, their power burried beneath the soil of Xuaquarres. He had come here for their genome. What he hadn't expected was a storehouse. Evil relics and twisted things lined catacomb halls, stored by a great power so evil that the old Sith could practically taste their lingering aura. No doubt this was the presence of the man that had brought the galaxy to its knees, the successor of Revan that rose and fell 900 years ago. A most curious case indeed. Kalrath had found himself somewhat enamored by the years following his exile, especially the shifts in the Sith tradition. This "Rule of Two" was facinating indeed, but it hardly seemed applicable now. Still, if nothing else, the old Twi'lek liked to have the knowledge simply for the sake of documentation.

I've been waiting.

A wave of compassion filled the room, dark and laced with great strength. It was almost as though the call of many were ringing out in unision, yet there was only one voice. Certainly a curiosity. The stranger spoke like he exxpected to see him there, yet not even Kalrath had expected to be where he was. It was certaily abnormal indeed. Perhaps he had to do with the strange apparitions, the ghastly women that filled the place. They had let Kalrath pass unharmed. There was something far deeper at play here.

Were there multiple people here? His intent seemed focused. Perhaps Kalrath was not the only one awaited.

There was only one way to find out. The old man lumbered his way towards the room that this powerful Lord lie within, the heavy clunk of his mechanical feet following him. His posture was looming, but rigid, the military days of his younger life still strong in the back of his mind, even after nearly 7,000 years.

<How bizarre,> Kalrath answered, similarly via telepathy. <I do not remember making any reservations for my visit. To whom may I have the pleasure of being waited upon by?>

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Darth Nwul //: Lord Kalrath //: Astrid pentoghast //:​

Dreams can contain hidden messages from the Force, and one should always listen. Quinn played her mother's voice in her head, repeating the same mystical jargon she had learned from the Aiing-Ti. The young Princess wasn't the type to heed these calls or believe them to be anything more than her subconscious playing tricks on her. This time, on the other hand, it felt different. Something or someone was calling through the Force, summoning her to a place unknown to her.

"Ugh." frustration echoed as she backhanded a cup of tea from her table. Quinn didn't acknowledge the shattering sound of the porcelain hitting the hard floor. Instead, her mind focused elsewhere.

Who would be summoning her like this, and how did they find their way to her? Again, the Princess groaned with frustration and annoyance. She brought her knees to her chest as she lounged in the oversized chair and watched the sky change colors. Quinn contemplated, weighing the pros and cons of the situation. It could be a trap; it was her first thought. Her parents had more enemies than friends; she could be a potential target. Although any normal parent would want to protect their child, Quinn remembered her importance to them.

Quinn decided to indulge this caller. She was fully capable of handling whatever was on the other end. Her mind sealed itself tight, ensuring the Princess was safe from further intrusions.

//: Xuaquarres //:​

The Graveyard of the Dragons was a place Quinn had only heard about. She would have never imagined she'd set foot on the planet or feel the pull of the spirits that reside upon it. Shadows shimmered by her, some paying her attention, others ignoring her existence. Quinn wondered if she still had the stench of the netherworld plaguing her aura. She had been denied death one of its own, and she felt the cold claws of it scratching close behind. Ignore it. The Princess focused her mind again, caging it into an impenetrable vault. She couldn't allow the dead to wish for life while she was near.

Quinn continued, letting her dream guide her through the ruins that had been long forgotten. It didn't take long for her to suddenly feel something brushing against her defenses. Something that wanted to welcome her gave her emotions that didn't belong to her. Quinn wouldn't allow it, barricading her mind tighter and retaliating to something with a coldness that even death would fear.

Growing up an empath, she hated feeling her emotions being controlled by others. Most of her training had focused on honing her defenses and, in turn, using how others felt against them. She would be ready to defend herself and meet the potential assassin. Two girls greeted Quinn and guided along to a meeting room where she saw two individuals. One old with the grinding gears of metal keeping him alive and another who she assumed was the summoner. The room was silent, and she looked between the two men. Why was she drawn to this place? It only took her a few moments, but she quickly recognized the younger man of the pair. A mischievous smirk trailed along her face, "Nwul," the woman spoke with a soft lyrical voice, "I've heard of you, heard of your ideals." Taking a step forward, the Princess tilted her head slightly, thinking, "Were you the one who invaded my dreams?"

 

[Astrid pentoghast]

Xuaquarres
Tag: Darth Nwul Quinn Varanin Lord Kalrath

Astrid found herself on an unfamiliar world she heard this place was a final resting place for dragons she wished to collect some bones for study if she was lucky she would collect a live specimen to further study. She didn't keep her hopes up for the latter as she felt three dark side presences in the caverns below the nightsister couldn't deny the call something drew her here as did her original purpose the catacombs where too small for Lucy who was getting restless on dathomir. He walked the catacombs of the planet guarded against all matter of attack she was a expert in mental warfare and proficient in melee combat as she expected a trap.

Walking into the warehouse she saw the three before her a woman who looked like royalty the twilek who looked more machine than man and looked lord nwul. "I assume it wasn't happenstance that the force drew me here as it did you three or should I say you two and nwul" she exclaimed this would be the second time she met nwul in the flesh if he even was flesh and blood anymore after Thule.

 

[Darth Nwul]

Nwul stood at the apex of the room, considering those who entered with an easy smile. First was the wise man, the collecter of knowledge. Someone after his own heart. The Dark Lord of Passion's molten eyes met the Twi'lek's as the man spoke telepathically. There was a moment, a brief instant, during that shared mental contact when it was possible to delve deep and touch the mind of the monster wearing the skin of a man. A moment of connection, a distant eternity made into a microcosm of feeling, the might of millions of lifetimes worth of emotion turned to the will of one man. He had indeed been changed by Thule, but he had been honed by Carnifex. Nwul's fingers twitched for the first time as he nodded silently at @Kalrath.

Next entered the Princess. The one who had sith blood so pure it titilated the senses. Her aura was potent in the force and Nwul could not help but savor it for a passing moment. Such power in the Sith Lord, such emotion, such untapped potential. Nwul's eyes gleamed almost hungrily in the faint light of the stronghold before they shifted towards the third who approached. Astrid pentoghast , someone he had seen before in person though had failed to gain the opportunity to talk. That was fine. They had that chance now. Nwul controlled his emotions even as he felt every single one of them, his crystalline purpose making him seem almost lukewarm. A sea of fire blending with an ocean of ice.

Nwul inclined his head, "I am Darth Nwul Shasot'ari," Nwul said with a cheshire smile, turning away from them, "I did call you here, welcome to the final resting place of Darth Sidious' hopes and dreams."

He paused, "Where I learned to Terraform Thule," He added and started to walk. The doors behind him opened and he passed through the threshold into what could only be described as a recreation of the Jedi Library on Coruscant. Databanks as far as the eye could see were set up in the center of the room while the walls were decorated with all manner of objects kept carefully behind atmospheric control barriers. He stood at the apex, "Access to this place is my gift, to you who answered my call," He said gently, looking up at the monument to knowledge.

He waited for the weight of his words to sink in before he spoke again. "I have seen a golden age for the Sith. I have seen a time when our people are unified again," His eyes never left the databanks, "I need your help."

Astrid pentoghast Quinn Varanin Lord Kalrath

 

[Lord Kalrath]

Xauquares
Tags: Darth Nwul , Quinn Varanin , Astrid pentoghast

​

"I have seen a golden age for the Sith. I have seen a time when our people are unified again,"

<I can imagine why,> Kalrath noted, speaking into the minds of those present. <Your mind is... expansive. I have not felt such power in... thousands of years... It honors me to be called upon by such.>

He was whistful, for a moment. It was as though, for a brief moment, the old man was in his youth once more, charging into battle at the behest of the genius behind the Republic's victory in the Mandalorian Wars so long ago. Nobody had achieved power quite like Revan had, even the Sith Emperor. It was more than raw strenght, but whit and cunning, a willingness to prop up an empire with your actions. Viciate fell because he saw a road to immortality.

But this man saw a road to unity.

The others were curious too. A more regal woman, and one with a different kind of darkness in her presence. A witch, perhaps? He could only speculate. It had been quite some time since he had last met a Witch of Dathomir.

<Ah, I digress,> he continued, giving a cordjual bow. <Lord Kalrath. You may consider me a scholar, I suppose. It has been many years since I've accepted the call of the Sith, but I must say that the prospect of a golden age... it intrigues me.>

The old Twi'lek paced over to the wall of the room, running his fingers along his fingers along the rows of records. It was a goldmine, one that Kalrath had imagined had been long lost since the fall of his Empire. Whatever this 'Rule of Two' had been, it had certainly been an effective way of retaining their history. He would have to look into this Darth Sideous further.

<Ambition and vision is but only a driving force, however,> the man noted, casually pulling a databank from the wall. <An empire can be built on the foundation of a dream, but without the proper reinforcement it cannot stand. Perhaps I'm simply... old-fashioned, but we are a people who can only stand on such a foundation. All Lord's worth their salt have a Grand Plan.>

Nwul had Kalrath's interest. He wanted to know how he planed to achieve this unity. With such power coursing through his veins, the ancient Sith forsaw great things, feats not since seen since his youth. He would, of course, stow his eagerness. Kalrath had to be convinced that such a thing was possible first.

And that excited him greatly.