Campaign The Forge

[Aris Noble]

Solomon.

If it was Solomon Acier saw, then it only made sense that they were on the right path. The Orb wasn't going to lie now, not this far into everything it'd been pushing Aris to do. He kept moving, kept walking. The others had started to fade in his mind as he followed the path laid out in that single minded need to see the end.

"Aris…"

He blinked before he looked to his sister. His expression tightened right away, thinning to a pensive calm. He'd tried to come here early, tried to make sure he did this before they found out.

"Carnifex is already here. Stay together. We have to hurry."

Vera Noble | Zaiya Ceti | Acier Moonbound | Aadihr Lidos | Azurine Varek | Everest Vale

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Nakbe

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace had been quiet for a while. Not out of fear or unease. He was just focused. He'd heard Vera's thin voice, Zaiya's hopeful words, Everest's tension, to the drumming quiet of their boots and the hollow breath of this place.​

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But then it hit him. There was no warning, no sense of build-up. Just the sudden abruptness of a dark avalanche crushing his body. It felt like a presence so vast, so cold, and sentient, overwhelmed all of his senses. It wasn't malice nor anger. It was certainty. Inevitability.​

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The air in his lungs turned to ice. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to move, to do something, but he couldn't - not at first. His fingers twitched, jaw locked tight. The feeling wasn't fear, it was insignificance. For how strong Ace was in the Force, he was merely a dwindled flame in the vast darkness he felt surround him.​

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And then, the memories began to surface. Filth-stained alleys and hunger pangs that never faded. Tiny fingers pulling back rusted panels, praying the scrap inside would be worth enough to eat. Eyes always watching - some predatory, some desperate. The aching void of parental warmth never known, just imagined.​

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Then the fire. The explosion at the docks. That container. That job. That choice. The blast that wasn't supposed to happen. Screams buried under flame. The bounty on his head. The running. The silence.​

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And Tessk. That final moment burned hotter than the rest. The weight of the lightsaber. The resistance of flesh. The look on Tessk's face before it went blank. Ace relived the strike. The rage. The kill. The silence after.​

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"Tessk, get up."​

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But he didn't, and he never would. Ace's jaw trembled and his fingers twitched like they still held the lightsaber. He could hear it hit the floor again. Could feel it. The weight of what he'd done hadn't faded. It was here, dragged to the surface by this thing pressing down on them. On him. His gaze whipped over to Aris, he knew what this was - who was causing these sensations.​

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"Carnifex? What's a Carnifex?" he asked, voice shaky. Desperately, he tried to regain his composure.​

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Then came another presence, not as dense or impactful as Carnifex's. Nowhere near. But it was there, and he could sense it. It was fierce, bright - fire, like his and Aether's. He didn't see her yet, but he could feel her coming, that unmistakable storm of conviction wrapped in charm and chaos. He didn't need the Force to tell him she was trouble. The kind you wanted on your side.​

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Then she came, an Iridionian woman. Another one of Aris's friends, he assumed. Ace didn't say anything, but offered her an acknolwedging nod. He returned his attention to Aris once more.​

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"We stick together. Just like Zaiya said. Whatever's at the end of this... it isn't just for you anymore."​

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Aris Noble Zaiya Ceti Vera Noble Aadihr Lidos Azurine Varek Everest Vale Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble Acier Moonbound Vera Noble Everest Vale Aadihr Lidos Darth Carnifex


Carnifex.

Even Zaiya knew what that meant. A sharp rush of yellow would dart over her mottled spots, their edges giving a slight quiver in colorshifting in concern.

She turned to Aris.

"He's here? Why would he be here?" Then she remembered what he'd told her, that he'd been moving undercover to try and find more about the Forge in Sith Territory... and even met up with his grandfather.

The flutter of yellow turned into a bright canary yellow that waterfalled over the delicate patterns down her neck and over her shoulders in an ombre of determination and focus as cobalt flicked through the hues.

"Darth Carnifex," Zaiya answered Acier Moonbound . Her sensors kept mapping out the area ahead, reflecting in a three-dimensional model on her wrist.

"He is Vera and Aris's grandfather..." She'd leave on what that exactly meant to the Noble siblings, as this was part of their history and family.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Paternal Grandfather, don't forget, little Zaiya."

The voice originated from the way they'd come, but it seemed to emanate from all around them; closing in and smothering them in it's velvety enunciation. It was threatening and comforting all at once, the words of a predator. His presence and voice long preceded Him, but His arrival was swift, the darkness undulating as the Dark Lord of the Sith made Himself known. The shadows danced in a procession at His approach, swaying and creating queer constellations of light and dark upon the walls and floors around them.

A cloak of rich Ghorman twill hung heavy around His broad shoulders, rendering Him into an amorphous shape that hid the true sihlouette of the Dark Lord beneath it. Only His head was exposed, long mane of midnight black hair cascading down, tucked behind the ears so as to not intrude upon His face. In many ways He and Aris greatly resembled one another, but to those who had become deeply familiar with Aris and his father Kahlil, the resemblance was almost perfect; save for the burning glow in the Dark Lord's eyes.

"So many friends you've made, Aris. So many lives now vested into your care, have you prepared yourself to lose them? If so, then by all means allow them to draw their weapons. If not, I suggest you keep them where they are."

Aris Noble | Vera Noble | Azurine Varek
Everest Vale | Acier Moonbound | Aadihr Lidos
Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Aris Noble Zaiya Ceti Acier Moonbound Aadihr Lidos Everest Vale

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Vera's fingers curled tight around the hilt at her hip, the sting of his words burning hotter than the cold pressing in on them. Her head snapped toward the towering shadow, her eyes narrowing, "You're not my grandfather. You're nothing but a disgusting, evil man."

She stepped forward, putting herself at Aris's side, her free hand brushing against his arm to make sure he felt her presence there. Whatever he thought about bringing her, whatever danger this had become, she wasn't leaving him to face it alone. Her gaze flicked once toward her brother, the venom in her voice softening only for him.

"Should we try and warn Mom or Dad?" she asked, ready to draw her blade at the first sign the Dark Lord moved.

​

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Nakbe

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

When Zaiya had revealed Carnifex's relation to both Aris and Vera, he blinked once - completely taken aback. His jaw tensed. That word, grandfather, struck deeper than it should have. For all the power churning in the room, all the dread humming through the stone, it was that word that sat like a stone in his gut.

Then his eyes flicked to both Aris and Vera. Descendants of the Dark side, like him. Ace didn't say it aloud, but the thought dug in. He didn't know what kind of man Carnifex was, but if Zaiya's tone and Aris's silence were anything to go by, it was the kind of lineage that weighed on you. The kind that echoed, like Isley Verd .

Before he could dwell, the air around them shifted. Heavy. Suffocating. A presence, no, a commanding pressure, flooded the tunnel like ink in water. It didn't just arrive. It enveloped. The sound of the voice alone was enough to turn Ace's shoulders rigid.

Carnifex had arrived. The shadows curled and twisted unnaturally at the edges of the corridor, and Ace's hand dropped reflexively to the hilt at his belt. His grip tightened out of instinct. But he hesitated. The Force screamed at him not to move. Carnifex hadn't ignited a blade, but his presence was a blade in itself... a void that pulled the light inward and drowned it. His aura was… immense. Not rageful. Not wild. But anchored. Cold. Ancient. Absolute.

Ace didn't draw. His fingers flexed once, then loosened slightly. His eyes were locked on the Sith Lord's every movement, every word. And when those words came, that velvet threat masked in courtesy, Ace didn't answer. But his stance shifted. Not in retreat, nor in defiance. Just vigilance.

Aris Noble Aadihr Lidos Zaiya Ceti Vera Noble Everest Vale Azurine Varek Darth Carnifex​

 

[Aris Noble]

There he was, like a specter of death descending on them. Aris didn't tense, didn't go for his weapon. They were close to the Forge now, to it's secrets. He'd known their grandfather wouldn't let this pass without arriving himself. If he knew how to take the key from Aris, he was certain all of them would be dead now.

He looked to Vera, giving her a little of a smile, the kind she'd know how to pick up on. "Not yet." They already knew. "For now we'll all continue down to the Forge."

When the door opened, that's when things would change. That's when he could let the simmering feelings inside him boil out. Stay calm, keep everyone safe. They were safe, at least for the moment.

He didn't step forward, not yet. Zaiya, Vera. He waited for them to move before keeping himself between them and Carnifex. As controlled as he was with his emotions, he couldn't help but want to protect them. Vera, who had already faced just how cruel Carnifex could be and Zaiya, whom he had to protect above all else.

It wasn't very Jedi, but he was still young.

"Keep an eye out for the guardians of this place. I'm sure they're going to be here soon." He hoped they'd be here soon.

Zaiya Ceti | Darth Carnifex | Vera Noble | Acier Moonbound | Aadihr Lidos | Azurine Varek

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Seer Stone, Wayfinder's Flare, Engagement Ring
Tag: Aris Noble Zaiya Ceti Vera Noble Acier Moonbound Aadihr Lidos Azurine Varek Darth Carnifex

She knew that presence.

Not just in the way a Jedi might know a disturbance in the Force — this wasn't theory. This wasn't intuition. It was memory.

It was the cold sting of claws across her face.
The smell of blood in the dark.
The sound Azzie's screams ringing in her ears.

A low, involuntary sound escaped her throat. She didn't even realise she'd made it.

Her body turned to ice.
Then fire.
Then both at once.

Carnifex.

She stopped walking. Her boots scraped to a halt on the stone. Her breath caught, and then quickened, faster, sharper.

Hyperventilating.

She could hear Vera's voice distantly. Zaiya's too. The words didn't reach her. Her fingers trembled once at her side before curling into a fist.

Her eye burned. The one that remained. Her voice came raw at first, barely audible, just for her.

"…bastard."

Another breath, shallow, and then another. She gritted her teeth. Her throat locked — then opened — and the word rose again, louder this time, fierce and full of something ugly and wholly uncharacteristic of her. Hatred.

"Bastard!"

She didn't care if he heard. In fact, she hoped he did.

Her hand found the hilt at her hip. Not drawn — not yet — but gripped, tightly, white-knuckled. A storm surged inside her, and for one fragile second she was afraid she might drown in it.

Eve shut her eye, and breathed.

She turned her head slightly, glancing to the others — her friends, her family now. All of them caught in the same storm. Her gaze settled last on Aris for a moment. The surge didn't vanish, but she managed to anchor it.

Barely.

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble Vera Noble Acier Moonbound Everest Vale Braze Darth Carnifex Aadihr Lidos Azurine Varek

Zaiya didn't flinch.

Even as the darkness rolled in like a thick oppressive cloud pressing against her lungs, the Lovalla stood her ground. Her bioluminescent skin dulled beneath the weight of it, mottled spots dimming as the oppressive presence of Darth Carnifex saturated the air around them.

But she was having none of that.

Her hand gently pulled away from Aris's, and she stepped half a pace forward, not toward Carnifex but beside Vera. Her striped skin shimmered faintly, flickering like a pilot light resisting the wind.

Opal blue irridecent eyes narrowed, and then Zaiya inhaled. Deep, steady. Letting it fill her lungs until her the breath filled chest. Then she let the Force pour into her in a delibrate warm surge. It coiled through her like woven threads of sunlight, and she didn't hold it. No, she let it spread and radiate out from her to her friends.

It wasn't battle meditation. Not quite. But it was hers.

That gentle wave of clarity moved outward, laced with her steadying resolve. It brushed against Vera's fear, Eve's fury, Aris's tension, and Ace's wariness. It didn't silence those emotions, she would never take that from them, but it steadied them. Lifted the weight just enough to breathe. Just enough to stand.

She looked up at Carnifex, her voice quiet but firm.

"Nobody is losing anyone."

Then, to the others, softer, steadier.

"Keep going. I'll hold the thread. We're not getting lost in his shadow."