Faction The Gathering [NJP + Open to All Jedi]

[Katarine Ryiah]

​

Kat couldn’t help but chuckle as Matsu suggested a snowman. She supposed the masters enjoying themselves while the students took the trial was a traditional part of this journey.

She saw that some of the padawans were coming back now, clutching crystals. She beamed at them.

“Congratulations. You should be proud today because you have completed the gathering. I am so proud of you all. “

There were still those working through the journey and those just starting but the Force would be patient as they all moved at their own speed.

“Let us build a fire to warm up while we wait for the others.”

​

Matsu Ike Solene Beroya Warren of the Narrows Lyssara Thrynn Aidan Bard Jayna Ismet-Thio Kael Venn Novac Lyrikal

 

[Novac Lyrikal]

Katarine Ryiah

novac's 4 crystals where floating above his bottom left hand(imageinbioforcrystals) while the others 3 arms where wrapped around hi himself. he couldn't stop looking at them. they where amazing, and they here his. he was truly become a jedi. he couldn't help but wonder what was next. when rhiah mentioned a fire he immediately perked up "yes please. i'd really lile that im freezing." he was cold blooded after all so the cold effected him worse then most.

novac wondered what it'd be like making his saber, would they all do it together or separately. oh well, not the time to think about that, for now just focus on trying to be warm.

he noticed Kael Venn was back and had a crystal of his own. novac gave a little wave and said "hey, you got your to huh, sweet."

 

[Aidan Bard]

✦ A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY ✦

---

He looks to the Jedi master with unmatched curiosity. A campfire? No, he wasn't cold. However, the chills did crawl up his skin through his muscles and eventually toward his center. It wasn't that he wasn't cold; campfires were small, and a place to speak. He didn't want to speak, he wanted to watch. Sooner or later, he'd see the smiles of his peers as they presented their crystals with an immense amount of glee. Their exploration was underway and not complete though, this was something he told himself he no longer qualified for. His crystal, no matter how it was, was secured in the hilt clipped to his belt. So he looks away, and he stands awaiting the others to return—waiting to see their smiles from the edge of the social circle in front of him.

---

END OF ENTRY

 

[Lyssara Thrynn]

"If you want to talk, I am open to the discussion, obviously."

Looking at Pari, I give her a small, kind, and friendly smile. Carefully sliding the kyber crystal into my pocket, I realize my goal has been achieved. Not through force, but because I have finally managed to turn the page—not completely, but it's a start. Now... I must be careful not to fall back into my old ways.

"What I saw back there was terrifying. My crimes, my doubts, my fears... my own mind made me feel the thousands of lives I've shattered. Even now, I can still feel them. The pain is unbearable."

As we approach the exit, I notice the other Jedi Master suggesting we build a fire to stay warm. A fire? All they had to do was ask. I go to gather what's needed, and with a sharp gesture, I summon Nightsister ichor to ignite a campfire in a burst of green flame, so everyone can warm themselves while waiting for the others.

"There, you have your fire... It happens to be my specialty."

I take my place beside it, wearing my newly acquired Jedi robes. My small, modified X-wing is parked not far from here; luckily, that's one less trek to make to get it back.


Pari Sylune Katarine Ryiah

 

[Jett Vox]

​

<bzzt> "I think I can do that. I'm not a monster," <bzzt> she said, unsure of what she was compared to the goodness of a Jedi. Mentally Jett noted that using your skills to protect people who couldn't protect themselves was a noble goal. Probably the best thing someone could do with their lives. Certainly a Mandalorian could do that? Probably not a very profitable endeavor, but something that one could resolve to do. Money wasn't everything after all. An easy thing for a teenager to say. Her father would probably have punched her in the shoulder for saying something like that, but would gently consider the thought regardless of his initial distaste.

Jett continued to climb through the cave, but more often than not, a pauldron scraped the cave wall, or her helmet bumped a rough patch of ceiling. She noticed that the cave was no problem for Jayna, so she wondered if the cave itself was trying to make the journey harder for her. The strap for her blaster rifle caught, and nearly ripped the weapon out of her hand, but she just gripped it tighter. The strange hindrances only making her more determined to follow her new friend all the way.

The same dip that Jayna ducked caught Jett right on the top of her helmet and she cursed in Mandalorian as she fell right on her ass. It was the last obstacle the cavern presented for her, because after that the cave opened up into a brighter, well-lit cavern. Her heads-up display detected energy, and lit up the screen as each one of the crystals there gleamed with their own internal light. This was where the purest Kyber was located, and Jett had a feeling that Jayna was going to be looking for a special one. One that spoke to her specifically.

She didn't know how she came to that conclusion, just that it came to her all at once, and for some reason she knew it was the truth. Jett said nothing - a miracle for her to be honest - and just watched while her friend continued her search. Jett pulled her rifle back over her shoulder and let it hang there. She then looked around, taking in the majesty of the cave's light. This was a private moment that Jett was intruding upon. It was strange to feel this way.

A glimmer caught her eye. She followed behind a little closer, but kept her distance, not wanting to interrupt, but that shimmer made her look again. What was that?

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Novac Lyrikal]

Lyssara Thrynn
novac looked at her with pure happiness in his eyes. "thank you" he says shivering. "you'll have to teach me that some time, i could really use it, have been learning to light flammable thing on fire but yours is clearly better." now talking to everyone present "so how'd it go for you all? i had to fight my master. hey Katarine Ryiah , Matsu Ike , what was it like when you two got your crystals?" he asked. he didn't know much about the two of them other then they where master so they must be pretty good. 'it would be interesting to know how they started' he thought to himself.

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen grunted as he got up from the snow, trying not to look embarrassed as he felt under Braze's stare. "Just trying to stay young, Kid. It's something you won't have to do for a long time yet." Ones, with that face, it would probably be a millennium at least.

Trying to ignore the chill in his bones that not even the internal heating from his suit could help with, Omen looked on as he watched the two Jedi embrace, or maybe it was just Braze trying to get an assault charge. Who knew with him? Still, he had never seen a Jedi pairing be openly affectionate as these two.

The Clone didn't quite know what to do. He half wanted to look away to give the two Jedi their privacy. Instead, he followed up on Jasper's comments as he looked on. "Yeah, well, you don't exactly have a choice. Besides, I thought you Jedi liked picking up strays". Ones knows Braze certainly had picked Jasper out in the "Jedi Master Adoption Agency." Seems like it was a good choice too. Despite the awkwardness he felt, the Clone couldn't help but smile for them.

Jasper Kai'el , Braze

 

[Warren of the Narrows]

​

The energy from the Kyber crystal was getting softer and softer now, the energy Warren was sharing with it not being enough to sustain it. He felt the Force warming his body as it flowed through him, Master Abarosis contributing whatever he could from beyond to help Warren. It would never be enough to save the crystal, but it would be enough to show it mercy.

There was a gripping at his chest, like he was supposed to do something, anything, to help. He couldn't though. What was happening was out of his hands, out of anyone's hands. The Force worked in its own ways, even through things such as the crystals that Jedi used in their lightsabers. The Force was in everything, and it was at the end of everything. Try as he might, the Selonian was no miracle worker, and he could not save the life force of the crystal from draining.

"It's hard to let go, Master." Warren choked through tears, the pure empathy the crystal felt reflecting back to him, giving him a touch of every moment, every joy, every sorrow the kyber crystal had known. It was truly beautiful what this cave had provided for the Padawans that came here, what these eons had provided for the many Jedi Orders that had risen and fallen over time. It all was hitting him at once, and he was so sad to have to watch it end. Warren turned back to where Master Abarosis had been before, only to see his vestige had disappeared.

"Master?" he asked again, this time a tinge of fear cracking through the emotions. Where had he gone? He couldn't leave Warren too- how would he get back without his guidance? The entire situation was overwhelming for the Padawan. Why was this a trial? Why would they want to subject their students to this? He couldn't let himself panic again. This was far too important. He took a deep breath, slow and steady, and reached out once more with the Force. He couldn't see his former Master, but he could feel him. The familiar warmth still cutting through the frozen cold.

"I trained you well, my Padawan, but it is time to let go. Take a piece of this place with you, but not too much. Your path belongs to you, not just to the Jedi." The voice was loud, clear, as though Abarosis stood beside him and everywhere at once. "You will be a great Jedi, a better one than most. You only need to trust yourself, and trust the Force." This time his voice felt more distant, like it was already slipping away. "I will be with you, watching with great interest. This will not be the last time you hear from me, but live for yourself, not for me or for anyone else." And just like that, the warmth he had felt was gone, replaced by a flash of green light that almost blinded the Padawan.

Looking back toward the crystal, its light had dimmed significantly. Its final moments were here. Warren couldn't help but feel the bitter-sweetness of it. Out of all the Padawans that had come through here in the many millennia this cave had served the Gathering, he was the one to see it through to its end. At least someone had been there to honor the guardian of the cave. The Jedi Padawan focused on the teachings of the Order, of letting go through the Force, of the beauty of returning to where you came from. He thought of Master Abarosis and how attachment without loss was selfish, and that if you truly cared for something, letting it go was part of loving it. Those thoughts grounded him, and the Force around Warren and the crystal settled, forming a quiet nexus of energy.

The next few moments passed calmly, and Warren felt the instant the crystal gave out. The Force recoiled like a wound for a heartbeat, before settling again into balance. There was no true sense of death, as with all things in the Force, something remained. Where the crystal had been lost, there was still a faint presence lingering in the air, connected to what had just transpired in the cave.

Warren's paws reached forward, his touch drawing a response from what remained. The faint glow gathered, growing warmer, before a small fragment cracked away and settled into his paw. Where the great crystal had been blue, this piece carried a trace of green within it, forming a soft teal hue. To the Padawan, it felt like a final gift, from both the guardian crystal and from Master Abarosis.

Warren closed his paw around the crystal and sat in the silence for a moment. He had done it. He had completed the trial. Now all he had to do was find his way out.

Now unclouded by the fading presence of the crystal, Warren found his path through the cave far more easily than before. The winding corridors felt familiar, reminiscent of the Narrows on Selonia, and he moved through them with growing certainty. When he finally emerged, he was relieved to see the others gathered outside. The trial had left him drained, emotionally and physically. On top of that, the dryness of the cold had taken its toll on his fur and skin.

"I...have finished my trial, Master Ryiah." The usual curiosity behind his eyes was gone, replaced by a fatigue far beyond his years. He slumped down by the fire, hoping to warm himself before they departed.

Tag: Katarine Ryiah
Location: Fireside
Objective: Don't lose any toes to frostbite

 

[Matsu Ike]

Novac Lyrikal

There was the fire and she moved over towards it with a small grin as she spoke to the padawan. "When I got my crystal... hmmm. It was a long time ago on Rhen Var, my master wanted me to learn to transcend the cold and the pain so he had me get in a barrel then he would kick me down into the cave." She said it while being there. "I learned a lot before the jedi came and found me." She shrugged but remained there with a small look of interest and held a hand out as she focused a little on it. The kyberite force candies forming like little crystals and she took a bite. "There is no real answer though padawan, it is something personal for everyone and some might never see a vision when they go in. THeir crystal will be there waiting. Force attuned tests aare more interesting."

 

[Novac Lyrikal]

Matsu Ike Warren of the Narrows

"ah i see," wait in a barrel? huh.

after the excitement of getting his crystals ended novac could help but kept looking down at his hand where it been cut in the vision, all his fingers where there but he could still feel the pain a little. what if what his mater said was true. that he would end up alling to the dark side once he lost everything. she seemed so sure of it. he never thought that getting his kyber crystal would be like this. he saw warren coming out from the cave and offered him to sit next to novac. he looked like he went through a lot, more then novac. guess it was rough on everyone, more on some then others. was this what is was like for everyone? he hoped the others had a easier experience in there.

"you ok warren?" he asked with a quite voice.

 

[Braze]

Tags: Jasper Kai'el Sergeant Omen | Open​

Braze pulled back after warming his nose against Jasper, then offered Sergeant Omen a curious look before smiling.

"I'll leave you two to tell war stories or what ever old fogeys do ."

With that, he headed indoors. He knew several of the younger ones would want to make their sabers soon, and he had brought with him a few fine pieces of knowledge, along with carefully chosen components to gift the youth when the time came.

 

[Lyssara Thrynn]

As if to accompany my words, I turn toward Novac and extend both of my hands. In one, I conjure a classic reddish-orange flame, while in the other, I create a green flame, typical of my Nightsister powers.

"There are two kinds of fire possible. The second one, I'm afraid, is beyond your reach. Those are my Nightsister abilities. The first one, however, is something anyone can hope to master with a bit of training... I could teach you a few tricks, if you'd like. To learn how to control fire. The secret of fire is willpower... and breathing."

As I slowly raise my hands and then close them in perfect synchronization, both flames vanish. I move closer to the fire I made for everyone, warming myself beside it.

Novac Lyrikal

 

[Kael Venn]

Kael didn’t speak right away.
The storm greeted him again the moment he crossed the threshold of the cave—howling winds, biting cold—but it felt… distant now. Muted. As if something within him no longer bent to it the same way.
In his hand, the crystal still glowed.
Not brightly. Not for display.
Steady.
Alive.

He stepped forward across the frozen expanse, boots crunching softly against the ice as he approached the gathered Masters and Knights. Other Padawans stood nearby, some excited, some quiet, each holding their own piece of what they had found… or been given.
But Kael’s focus didn’t drift.

It settled on his Master.
He stopped a few paces before her, the wind tugging at his robes, then slowly opened his hand.
The blue light reflected faintly across his features.
For a moment, he simply held it there—not presenting it like a prize, not offering it for approval. Just… sharing it.

“It wasn’t what I expected,” Kael said at last, voice calm, quieter than the storm around them. “There was no test to defeat. No answer to prove.”
His fingers closed slightly around the crystal, not hiding it—just grounding himself in its presence.
“It listened,” he continued, eyes lifting to meet hers. “And it… waited.”
A small pause.
“I thought I needed to be ready.” A faint exhale left him, almost a breath of realization. “But it wasn’t about being ready to take it.”
His gaze flickered briefly to the crystal again, the soft hum resonating faintly through the Force.
“It was about understanding why I shouldn’t.”
Another silence—but not empty. Full.
Then, more simply:
“It chose me.”
He extended his hand just slightly—not to give it away, but to let her feel it. The connection. The resonance. The quiet harmony between Padawan and kyber.
Around them, the other Jedi stood as they always had—watchful, patient.
But Kael stood differently now.
Not changed in form.
But in foundation.
The first step had been taken.
And for the first time, it didn’t feel like a step forward—
It felt like alignment.

Matsu Ike Novac Lyrikal Katarine Ryiah //OPEN//

 

[Matsu Ike]

Kael Venn Novac Lyrikal

She gave a bow of her head to the pair of them as they were coming out while she looked towards the fire and the woman talking about the different fires with a nod of her head for her. She looked at the padawan as he asked about the barrel and she grinned. "Yes, after sixty five years I can laugh about it but back then it was a very different time, a very different circumstance." She could only offer a shrug as she remained there though finding a small place to be above most of them as the rest would be able to come out and find a place or join them if they made it.

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Find a lightsaber crystal
Location: Ice Caves of Ilum
Outfit: Warm clothes
Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Sergeant Omen | Kael Venn | Matsu Ike | Lyssara Thrynn
Direct Interaction: Jett Vox

Jayna heard the distortion in Jett Vox’s voice, the static-edged honesty of it, and something in her expression softened immediately. “I didn’t think you were,” she said simply, glancing back with a small, reassuring smile. “Not for a second.” There was no lecture in it. No correction. Just… certainty.

The cave pressed in around them as they moved, but Jayna didn’t seem to notice it the same way Jett did. Where armor scraped and caught, where stone resisted and pushed back, Jayna moved through it like water slipping between fingers—guided more by instinct than sight.

Still, she noticed. A glance over her shoulder as Jett bumped and cursed. A quiet flicker of amusement she didn’t quite hide. “You’re fighting it,” she called back lightly. “Try… not doing that.” Not criticism. Just observation.

Then the cavern opened. And everything changed. Jayna stepped forward into the wider chamber, the glow of kyber crystals spilling across her face in fractured light—but her focus didn’t linger on the many. It narrowed. Sharpened. Something in her posture shifted, subtle but unmistakable. Her breathing slowed. Her steps lost their casual rhythm, replaced by something quieter… more deliberate. Like she was listening to something no one else could hear.

At first, there was nothing. Just light. Just silence. Just the faint hum that filled the space. Then—There. A flicker. Not brighter. Not louder. Just… hers.

Jayna stilled. The pull came gently at first—then stronger. Not forceful. Inevitable. Like a thread tied somewhere deep inside her, drawing her forward. She took a step. Then another. Her hand lifted slightly, fingers curling as if reaching for something she couldn’t yet see. “…okay,” she murmured under her breath.

To Jett Vox, Jayna simply moved deeper among the crystals, weaving with quiet certainty. But then—She stopped.

The cavern shifted. Not physically—Jett would see nothing change—but for Jayna, the light dimmed, the hum deepened, and the world narrowed to a single point ahead. And suddenly—She wasn’t alone.

A presence stood between her and the crystal. Not solid. Not entirely real. But felt. It took shape in fragments—familiar in ways that made her chest tighten. A silhouette that echoed something buried deep in her bloodline. Strength. Weight. Expectation. Power. The kind that didn’t ask. The kind that took.

A voice—not heard, but understood. Take it. The crystal gleamed behind the figure, close enough now that she could reach it in a single step. You don’t need to hesitate.

A flicker of something darker pressed at the edges of her thoughts—confidence sharpened into certainty. Why wait? Why question? She could take it. She was strong enough. She knew that.

Jayna’s fingers twitched. For a heartbeat—she almost moved.

Then she exhaled. Slow. Steady. Her hand lowered slightly. “…no,” she said quietly. Not defiant. Just… sure.

The pressure didn’t vanish. It shifted. Then prove it. The presence surged—not attacking, but pressing. Doubt, expectation, legacy—all of it bearing down at once. Not asking her to fight. Asking her to choose.

Jayna closed her eyes. Not to shut it out. To feel it fully. The weight of what she came from. The shadow of what she could become. The ease of taking the faster path. And the cost of it. Her parents had both been something other than what they were now. Jayna knew of dangers of easy and fast.

Her shoulders relaxed. Her breathing steadied. When her eyes opened again, there was no tension left in her stance. “No shortcuts,” she murmured. The presence stilled. Then—It was gone.

To Jett, nothing had changed. Jayna had simply paused, standing still for a few quiet seconds in front of a cluster of crystals. Maybe thinking. Maybe choosing.

Jayna stepped forward. This time, nothing resisted her. Her hand lifted again—gentle now, certain—and came to rest around the waiting crystal. “…found you,” she whispered. And this time—There was nothing standing in her way.

 

[Jett Vox]

​

Jett had been talking the entire time, blathering about this and that, talking about her family, her new found family, Mandalorians and so on, but none of that had been heard. Instead, it was all lost in the vision Jayna was experiencing. Barely a buzzing remained as evidence of her voice, then as the young Jedi reached out and took her crystal, and as it did what Kyber crystals did, taking on the color that best suited it's host, the numb sound rushed back into fullness "...and at least the soup is good." <bzzt> It didn't seem like Jett had noticed a change at all. The experience was for Jayna alone.

<bzzt> "Oh, nice," said Jett in mild surprise as Jayna drew a lovely flawless crystal from the many jagged and uneven ones. After all, this was what they had come here for. Of all the flawed and partially formed crystals, she had found one that was smooth and unblemished. "You found a good one." <bzzt>

She was partially lodged in the cave, which had not let her fully emerge into the cavern Jayna had found her Kyber.

<bzzt> "Sooooo... should we be getting back now?" <bzzt> Jett didn't get nervous easily, but this place wracked her nerves.

She thought she felt a rumble. She lifted a boot and looked down. Ilum had it's seismic activities, but they were mostly tame. That didn't alleviate someone from a temperate planet who'd mostly lived on solid ground. She shifted her rifle in hand and turned about, finding that the way out was much much easier than the way in had been.

<bzzt> "Well isn't that something," <bzzt> she murmured under her breath.

Jayna Ismet-Thio

 

[Jayna Ismet-Thio]

Objective: Find a lightsaber crystal
Location: Ice Caves of Ilum
Outfit: Warm clothes
Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Sergeant Omen | Jett Vox | Kael Venn | Matsu Ike | Lyssara Thrynn

For a moment, Jayna simply stood there. The crystal rested in her hand—smooth, whole, glowing a steady, living blue that seemed to breathe in time with her own heartbeat. It wasn’t just light. It was presence. A quiet harmony settling into place, like something that had been waiting a very long time to be found.

Behind her, Jett Vox’s voice rushed back into existence all at once. Jayna blinked, the world snapping back into focus as if she’d surfaced from deep water. “…—and at least the soup is good.”

A soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it. “I’m glad we’ve established priorities,” she replied, turning just enough to glance back at Jett with a grin, the crystal still cradled carefully in her palm. “Soup first. Ancient Force ritual second.”

“Oh, nice… You found a good one.”

Jayna looked down at it again, her expression shifting—not pride, not quite. More like… recognition. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I think it found me first.”

At Jett’s question, Jayna nodded once, already turning toward the path out. “Yeah. Let’s—” The rumble cut her off. Subtle at first. Easy to dismiss. Then not. The cavern shuddered. Light fractured across the walls as smaller crystals chimed and trembled, their tones rising into a discordant chorus. Dust shook loose from above, scattering like pale ash through the glowing air. Jayna’s head snapped upward.“That’s… not ideal.

“Move!” she called back, already stepping toward the exit. The path that had been uncertain on the way in now seemed almost guided on the way out, opening just enough, shifting just enough to allow passage. Jayna moved quickly—but not blindly—keeping just ahead, glancing back to make sure Jett was with her.

Another tremor hit. Stronger. A crack split through the stone nearby, sharp and sudden. Jayna flinched, instinctively bracing—and the crystal in her hand flared. Light surged through it. Too bright. Too intense. For a heartbeat, it felt like the same presence from before—but unsteady, pulled in two directions at once.

Jayna’s breath caught. “No—” The crystal fractured. Not shattered. Not destroyed. But split. A sharp, resonant crack echoed—not just in the cave, but through the Force itself—and the single blue crystal separated in her grasp into two distinct pieces.

One larger. Still glowing blue, though its light flickered unevenly now.

The other—Smaller. Brighter in a different way. Jayna stumbled a step as the energy settled, staring down at what remained in her hands even as the cave continued to tremble around them.

The smaller shard pulsed once. Then shifted. Blue deepened—darkened—and bloomed into a rich, unmistakable purple.

For a heartbeat, Jayna just stared. Not confused. Not afraid. Just… stunned. Jayna blinked hard, closing her fingers carefully around both pieces before pushing forward again.

“I’m good!” she called back, though her voice carried a breathless edge now. “Just—keep moving!”

The rest of the ascent blurred into motion—stone shifting, light scattering, the path opening beneath their feet as if urging them onward rather than trapping them within. And then—Cold air. Wind. Sky.

Jayna slowed only once they were clear of the cave’s mouth, stepping out onto solid ground as the rumbling faded behind them into distant silence. For a moment, she just breathed. Then she looked down at her hands.

Two crystals. One blue—larger, steadying again, though no longer whole. One smaller—glowing purple, vibrant and alive in a way that felt… different. Not separate. Not wrong. Just… another part of her.

Jayna turned the smaller one slightly between her fingers, watching the light catch and refract. A slow smile spread across her face. “Well,” she murmured, half to herself. “That’s new.”

She glanced sideways at Jett Vox, a spark of excitement breaking through the lingering intensity of the moment. “I think I just made things more complicated.” A beat. Then, a little brighter—“But in a good way.”

Her gaze dropped back to the crystals, something thoughtful settling in behind her expression. Two paths. Not divided. Chosen. “Guess I’m building two,” she said, almost lightly—but there was weight behind it. Intention.

A small exhale, somewhere between a laugh and something steadier. “…like Ahsoka Tano.”

Jayna closed her hand gently around both pieces, holding them together—not trying to force them back into one, not questioning why they had split. Just accepting what they had become. And what she would become with them.