Populate The Great Hunt || SO Populate of Seswenna

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: This
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
SHIP: Vigfjall
TAG: Irina Jesart | Selene Valeheart | Warpriest Prime | Naamino Zuukamano | Varin Mortifer | Lysander von Ascania | Naniti | Darth Prazutis | Ghruna | Darth Valar | Skadi Lightbane | Aerik Lechner

The horn’s cry faded through the trees, and Gerwald lowered it slowly. The forest accepted the sound and carried it deeper into the night. The ground beneath his boots felt familiar. The air held the same quiet promise he remembered from his youth. This place had shaped every instinct he trusted.

Movement in the clearing drew his eye. Warpriest Prime had arrived without ceremony, yet the forest felt her presence. Firelight glinted across her scales as she checked the weapons laid out along her armor rack. She moved with care rather than noise, which Gerwald respected. Her gaze found him once, sharp and curious, before she turned her attention to the Sith around her. He felt the weight of that look but did not return it for long. Predators recognized each other quickly. There would be time to speak later.

Young hunters gathered in small groups along the fire. Varin’s voice carried with tempered energy as he checked the readiness of his companions. Naamino shifted his stance with natural ease, a man who belonged in wild places. Lysander carried steady confidence. Naniti watched the clearing with the sharp patience of someone used to taking her own measure. Each one belonged here in their own way.

Farther off, Valar let the forest speak to her. Her stillness showed she understood that Stewjon taught without words. Gerwald approved of her discipline.

Closer to the horn’s resting stone, Selene and Irina stood ready. Both carried the focus he expected from hunters who wished to stand at his side. Both carried more beneath the surface. Irina’s attention cut toward Aerik more than once. Selene noticed. He caught the tension but left it alone. The Hunt would settle their minds better than any command from him.

Naedira Darcrath lingered at the edge of his thoughts. He wished she stood at his side now. She would have understood the pull of this place. She always did. He intended to bring her here again when the Hunt was done.

He turned toward the gathered hunters and let the forest settle behind his shoulders like a cloak.

“The land has opened to you,” Gerwald said, his voice carrying across the clearing. “The Cerynth is already moving. Follow with care. Pay attention to the ground beneath your steps. Watch the way the branches shift. The trail will not stay clear for long.”

He let his gaze move from hunter to hunter, meeting each pair of eyes without hurry.

“Your first task is simple. Move. Do not force your pace. Do not cut across the work of another hunter. The forest will show you the way if you let it.”

He stepped down from the stone and walked into the open clearing. The firelight brushed against his boots and faded as he reached the line of torches.

“This is your moment. Stewjon does not hold your hand. It judges without kindness.”

He paused at the threshold of light and shadow. A breath of cold air moved across his face. He knew this feeling well. It was the welcome of old ground and the promise of a worthy chase.

“Go! Earn your place in these woods.”

Then he crossed the line of torches and vanished into the trees. The forest closed around him like an old friend.

The forest settled after the horn faded. Wind shifted through the branches with a low whisper. Every hunter crossed the torchline into cooler air. The wild answered at once.


A branch cracked far to the north. Not loud. Just enough to cut across the stillness. A moment later another sound followed, the soft thud of hooves pressing into damp soil.

Slow.

Careful. ​

Measured.​

The herd had begun to move.

They traveled in a long arc through the undergrowth, drifting between tall trunks with the ease of creatures that knew every bend of the land. Bronze hides brushed against ferns. Crests held a faint glow that pulsed as they signaled one another. The light shifted from green to pale blue before dimming again.

The lead Cerynth paused. Its ears turned toward the hunters' direction. Its body stilled with sharp intent. The others behind it froze. For a long breath nothing moved except the mist curling around their legs.

Then the herd shifted course.

They angled west, slipping toward a shallow gully where the wind favored them. Their steps grew lighter. Each animal placed its hooves with precision, making almost no sound. Only the faint brush of leaves marked their passage.

A brief opening in the trees revealed them to the hunters.

One Cerynth lifted its head above a rise in the terrain. Antlers caught the moonlight. For a heartbeat the glow along its crest brightened. A single green flare cut through the shadows. Its eyes fixed on the forest edge as if measuring the hunters' presence.

Then the moment ended.

The animal dipped out of sight. The herd broke into a smooth run. Not panic. Intent. They moved through the trees in a tight pattern before vanishing into thicker cover.

Only one sign remained. A trail of disturbed fern fronds. Fresh prints pressed into soft earth. A single antler scrape left on the side of an old pine.

The Hunt had begun.

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Varin Mortifer Naniti Naamino Zuukamano

​

The forest possessed a way of drawing his senses outward.. sound thinning into distance, but his co-apprentice’s voice cut through it.

"Smoke might work.. if it's patient enough to follow it. Otherwise, forcing its path could cost more than it's worth." His voice was calm. "Otherwise, we risk forcing a blind chase.. and blind chases tend to end badly. I'll adjust for the angle and push it back toward you."

Under the cool exterior he felt that familiar thrill. It wasn’t their territory… no ownership over the ground beneath them. Just travelers in something older.. harsher. It resonated with him deeply.

Fingers brushing the palm, he let it flip over. “Forests like this always hide things that aren’t in the.. guidebooks. Funny enough, I actually paid attention in Botany 101.” Or maybe that just meant he'd spent too much time around a Neti who was oddly fascinated with Sithspawn. The other two from Kor'ethyr would certainly catch the hidden meaning.

Lysander angled a look toward Naniti. “If we have even a partial fence around it.. containment is cleaner. But if you get eyes on it first and the shot.. or strike..” A small lift of his shoulder. “I say take it. A clean kill sounds better than a wounded cerynth bolting through the trees.”

Better to lay it all out early, before the forest decided to start making its own rules.

His mouth twitched at the corners when hand signs came up. Nothing like old muscle memory unfurling from all the trauma that Korriban delivered. Unconsciously, his fingers were moving with that same crisp precision that had been beaten into him at the old academy. Some things just never left the spine, no matter how far from the Red Waste you tried to run..

“I remember all of them, spiky-noggin.” Lysander tipped his chin. “Even the ones they insisted we’d never use.”

The Zabrak spoke in a way that showed his experience. And only at the end did his vision drift upward, looking out to the forest, and into the branches far beyond.

“That works for me. If one breaks from the herd, I’ll adjust my elevation and cut off the northern retreat. High ground gives me the cleanest line.” Easier said than done, but the logic locked into place.

A dry twist threaded his voice. Much like the lessons Korriban carved into his being, an opportunity for a quip must survive too. “Just try not to make too much noise down there. Hard to fething shoot straight if I’m listening to you three argue with shrubbery.” There was plenty of warmth in those words, too.

His focus slid toward a familiar Mandalorian, Warpriest Prime , as the word hunk tore through the camp like a blaster bolt. First the Death Star.. then Jutrand, and now Stewjon. Well, no need to dwell on Naboo and past experiences with their kind. As he understood it, the Order had new allies, which was plenty reason to accept them. His gaze bore now malice as he watched the scene before him.

She clearly had a type, and the Sith Lord was it. “.. it seems the cerynth isn't the only thing she's hunting tonight.”

A final glance toward Gerwald Lechner as if to say.. good luck, brother.

The Outer Rim has burned a lot out of him.. but hadn't burned out the instinct to read the world before him. Perhaps, a small nod to nature, he realized then he wouldn't call for any supernatural aid. Using the Force struck him as dishonoring the ritual. It wasn't a personal philosophy.. it just felt right at that moment.

The sound of a horn had long since faded, and the forest was tightening around them. He could hear hooves pressing into earth. Instinctively his bow rose, just to make himself feel ready. Before long, the majestic beast they hunted came into view. The moment was short lived before the herd dissolved into shadow.

"They're not afraid of us." He tracked the line where the last glow vanished. ".. just particular about the terms, I suppose."

​

 

[Naniti]

Naniti's eyes flicked between members of the group and Gerwald as they all spoke and offered up insight. A number of the... recommendations, however, rubbed the Togruta wrong. Not that they were bad -- by no means were the statements wrong -- but that they needed said. Ensure they were all on the same page? Yes, worthwhile. Had their training not drilled in such principles by this point in their careers? They were Acolytes, but they were also thrown to the wolves -- so to speak -- and expected to come back alive. So talk of the planet being full of hazards seemed obvious to Naniti.

Then again, academics were extra-curricular that the Togruta indulged in before of visions that plagued her. Otherwise, if she hadn't explored topics on her own, all she would know was how to hunt. Just that little special instruction from her pre-Academy Master.

Pleasantly, everyone seemed on the same page when it came to dealing with their prey though. Contain it and attack as a group if possible, but if not and the opportunity presented itself for a clean kill take it. Naniti could respect such lateral thinking by her peers. Also it was instructive when it came to group-dynamics in a coordinated hunt.

"If you lose sight of it, let me know," Naniti said after Lysander affirmed he'd try to turn back any that sought to get away. In a forest that could be far easier said than done, especially depending on where one camped. Fortunately, she was blissfully unaware of her partner's unspoken desire not to 'dishonor the ritual' by using the Force.

"The closer we get, the more likely they'll scatter." Blue eyes forward, she squinted toward the West. "Stay downwind of them." In fact, it might not be a bad idea to find a way to conceal their scent. That was a thought Naniti was not looking forward to exploring further. Perhaps it would turn out to be unnecessary. She hated assassination training courses.

Lysander von Ascania | Varin Mortifer | Naamino Zuukamano

 

[Darth Strosius]

​

Tags: Madrona A’Mia / Lina Ovmar
--------------------------------------------

Delving into ancient places in search of their source of power and mystical nature was nothing new for Darth Strosius, but doing so in a forest was something a bit different. He much preferred a good ruin or crypt over the woods. There was far too much life to sense around, between the sprawling plants and the creatures scurrying between them it was nothing more than a sea of interference. Finding some hidden trail amidst it all was proving exceedingly difficult.

And that was without factoring in certain other distractions. At least this time He wasn't being forced to prance around at some social gathering He supposed, improvement was improvement. Even if it did mean the alternative was trudging through the forests of Stewjon. Darth Strosius paused to lean against a tree, the claws adorning His gauntlet's fingers digging into the bark as He sighed. Below where His hand sat against the trunk now, there were three other similar marks.

"Alright. I give up, I keep going in circles."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Tags: Darth Carnifex Madrona A’Mia Darth Strosius​

There was something calming about the forest, the soft whisper of wind through the thick canopy, the distant call of animals big and small. As the horn for the hunt cut the air with its mournful tune, Lina turned away from it, pressing deeper. She wasn't looking for anything, in particular, she simply followed the pull that resonated deep in her chest.

She was so close to the final preparations for the curse she would inflict upon Darth Carnifex and his bloodline, soon every soul that shared blood with him would feel her wrath. Months of research and careful planning including a trip to the Netherworld to subdue the beast that would hunt them on this plane and the next.

There were two pieces left. The first was a location to cast it. Corva Yag was out of the question, as secure and secret the sanctum was, she would not risk him tracking the source to her. The second was the most difficult to obtain. To secure him and his entire bloodline, she needed his blood.

Wisps of shadow trailed behind her as she walked, her eyes downcast, brow furrowed in thought, not truly paying attention to where she was going.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Darth Strosius & Lina Ovmar

Contrary to the well armored and equipped Prophet, A’Mia appeared to be casually dressed and perfectly at ease in the thickly wooded forest. Upon her hip she rested a finely woven basket that she’d steadily and with great delight been filling with all manner of fungi. The initial inspiration for exploring the Whispering Woods had been set aside for a moment of getting sidetracked and simple enjoyment of the sightseeing on offer.

A splintering, faintly protesting creak of wood drew her attention— not for the first time that night, Alisteri seemed to be marking their journey. How strange, she mused silently to herself, he truly doesn’t see or sense the way. A’Mia had been quite content to meander but Darth Strosius was ever focused on the objective. How to impart upon him that some mysteries were found by wandering?

“Alisteri, if you stop marking them like a particularly territorial cerynth, they might be more amenable to leading the way…”

She glided over to the same tree, shouldering up beside him to delicately lay one red-brown palm against the earlier damage. New growth bubbled merrily up and the bark knitted back together, the only indication of the earlier wound was that the healed area was slightly lighter in color.

She regarded him for a long moment, then turned to regard the misty, dark depths of the woods. Planting her back to the trunk of the tree, A’Mia closed her eyes for a moment of communion. Two bare, humanoid feet could be spotted neath the hem of her simple skirt, and the woman ground her heels into the soil a bit. Bringing to mind a shrine or ruins that might have once been of particular interest to other sentient visitors, A’Mia put the inquiry out to the surrounding botanicals via vague communication with the local mycelial network.

A notion of a direction began to arise within her and she opened her eyes, pointing eastward.

“Darkness resides in all living things to some extent, death is ultimately what feeds us after all. Here the soil is thick with the cycle of decay and rebirth.”

As if that was explanation enough, she set out in the direction she’d pointed, hoisting the basket back upon her hip and striding through thick undergrowth as if it posed her no barrier at all.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

WEARING: xxx | TAG: Skadi Lightbane | Warpriest Prime | Irina Jesart​

The forest settled after the herd vanished into the thicker trees. Every hunter near the torchline shifted their weight without realizing it. The pup felt the change before he breathed it in. The air had shifted with the trail. The earth pulled the scent of the Cerynth downward into the gully beyond the ridge. He could feel it beneath the soil, the way moisture moved when large bodies passed over it.

Skadi stood close enough that her breath mixed with the rising mist. Her earlier comment still hung between them. He had ignored it, not because he wanted to dismiss it, but because the forest had been louder than his own thoughts at that moment. He caught the way she met the men who nudged him with the same steady confidence she had shown on Dromund Kaas. The young Lechner allowed himself a small breath of amusement. She matched the wild better than she knew.

The pup shifted his stance and let the forest speak.

Bent ferns marked the way the herd moved. Water displaced around the deeper hoofprints. Fresh bark scraped from the pine trunk clung to the soil at its base. These were truths he trusted. They steadied him in a way spoken words never could.

A new presence brushed against his senses. Not quiet. Not careful. Dima moved toward them without concern for the ground she crossed. Her scent carried metal and a faint burnt tang. An energy clung to her movements that did not match Stewjon’s rhythm, yet she moved with intent. The apprentice watched her without signaling interest. He observed her the way a hunter notes another presence at the edge of their line.

She folded her arms behind her when she reached them. Her voice carried an ease that suggested she rarely weighed her words. Aerik listened as she spoke about joining them. Humor colored her tone. Something else pressed beneath it. When her attention drifted toward Gerwald, the shift in her expression caught him in a place the forest had already opened.

Gerwald stood near the deeper trees, his form already blending with the darker edges of the hunt. His father carried himself with the same certainty Aerik remembered from older years. The pup had seen that posture many times. It carried the scent of home. It also carried the presence of the woman tied to him by bond. Naedira had shaped more of Aerik’s childhood than most understood. The memory of her steadied him now.

Dima’s casual remark cut across that bond with the kind of carelessness that did not belong here.

The apprentice turned to her. His fire colored eyes held no anger, only clarity. He did not lift his voice. He did not let emotion guide the moment. He spoke the truth because it needed to be spoken.

“My father is mated.”

The words came plain. They carried no force, yet they did not bend.

Aerik had already turned back to the trail. He left the matter there. The forest taught that some boundaries needed no repetition.

Irina’s eyes found him through the trees. She looked away the moment he noticed. The motion stayed with him longer than the glance itself. It carried something she had not meant to show. On Stewjon a look like that was offered without hesitation. Irina tried to fold it away, and the effort drew his attention. He wondered what held her in that space, then let the question rest so he could stay with the trail. Whatever it was, it reminded him that he understood beasts far better than he understood women.

Aerik knelt beside the nearest print. Water gathered along its edge, thin and bright in the low light. The mark had not yet taken the loosened soil around it. That told him enough. He touched the rim with two fingers. The cold settled along his skin. The earth carried the weight of the herd toward higher ground.

“They climbed toward the ridge. They will test the wind before they descend. We should follow the stone line. The herd will hear others long before they hear us.”

A faint crack reached them from farther up the rise. A hoof striking loose rock. Not loud, but enough to confirm the direction.

Aerik stepped forward.

He glanced once toward the place where Gerwald had vanished into the trees. His father expected each hunter to stand on their own. Aerik felt the weight of that expectation and welcomed it.

He looked to Skadi.

“Stay with me.”

He looked to Dima.

“You can follow if you want, but we’re here to hunt the Cerynth, so keep your focus on that.”

With that, Aerik took off in the direction the herd seemed to be moving.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Handsigns, drilled over and over. He remembered them all right. He brought up a few towards Naami as a response.

<<Affirmative, got your six>>

His response may have seemed a bit overkill for a hunting routine, but best to be over prepped in his opinion. Lysander caught his attention about the smoke being a possible use which brought a bit of excitement to Varin’s eyes. Surely he would not use it to burn down a forest, not something that is held in such high regards like Stewjon.

“I can control it’s direction, but I won’t be as mobile if I am controlling it. I’ll save it if it is truly needed.”

As he followed them listening to the conversing and the back and forth, Naniti brought up the issue with scent and staying down wind to which Varin smirked and dug his hands into the moist dirt offering some to her.

“You will not find a better scent cover than the wild that your prey resides in.”

Their prey shifted in the forest, Varin watched one stare right at them through the trees. Flicking its warning signs to the herd before taking off with them, the sound of soft hoof beats and scrapes of antler on wood signaled that they were on the alert. Not panicked yet, but they were aware of the shift in the air. Varin let out a slow breath that formed a cloud swirling around him as he softened his pace. He sniffed the air. Though his nose was not as refined as actual predatory hunters, Varin’s senses were slightly heightened from his experiences from hunting. Ignati also put his senses out as well. He had been unusually quiet since they had landed, but he was not going to complain about that.

From this point on, Varin would remain silent unless he absolutely needed to contact his crew.

Lysander von Ascania | Naniti | Naamino Zuukamano​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Had she not been so preoccupied with her own thoughts, Lina Ovmar might have realized the gradual decline and ultimate silence of the forest around her.All the insects within earshot had fallen in a deep and still silence, the whole forest still as if holding its collective breath. Darkness crept across the forest floor, spilling out like corrosive ink into every tree, every plant, draw out the shadows until they were wicked caricatures.

A snort, a breath.

Red eyes in the gloom.

Emerging from the shadows of the treeline was a large paw, each digit capped with razor-sharp claws. Then another, and finally a long snout emerged. Thick lips curled back to reveal rows of serrated teeth, each one stained a deep maroon. The beast was entirely black, save for the pelt of bright feathers which cascaded down its back and flanks. It was a creature wholly alien to the forest around it, a transplant who's darkness brimmed with a familiar taste of fear and hatred.

Another moved to join it, then a third. A trio of ferocious predators stalking forward warily, keen intellect shining in those blackened orbs they called eyes. They kept their distance as if leashed, though no instruments of restraint could be seen encircling their broad necks. Another power kept them from rushing forward, one far greater than any creature could dare wield.

Save one.

"How fortuitous," came the deep, velvet rumble of a voice Lina was all too familiar with. "I had missed you on Alvaria, but now another chance has presented itself." Darth Carnifex strode out into the open, His presence radiating the cold, frigid chill of death.

The faintest hint of a smile pulled at the sides of His mouth, teeth briefly exposed as the lips parted. Inhuman. False. The smirk of a murderer. "Hello, Lina."

Lina Ovmar ​

 

[Naamino Zuukamano]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Lysander von Ascania | Varin Mortifer | Naniti
Wearing
Wielding: Zhaboka, Vibroblade, Length of Fibrocord
​

Even as "moving downwind" was being mentioned, Naamino was already padding in that direction. Putting some distance between himself and his companions after confirmation they remembered their hand signs, the big zabrak crept in a flanking arc with surprising stealth. It was rather liberating to be free of heavy armor and armaments that so often increased his already impressive bulk. Being out here, prowling as his ancestors and some of his tribesmen still did? It felt good.

Initial sightings of their quarry were brief and muddled by thick forest, though sounds of the cerynth shifting, moving steadily deeper into the brush was easy enough to follow. Naamino also made note of places their path might soon converge with other hunters— not a surprising possibility given how many of them were at the camp prior to this, but the young man wondered if they might have to confront other hunting parties encroaching on their trail.

Fist flexing upon the long central hilt of his zhaboka, the horned man paused at the edge of a glade. Movement caught his eye deeper into the thicket and he signed to the others.

>>Target in sight<<
​

Remaining low, Naami continued more slowly, careful of every step he took, breath controlled and icy gaze focused. Provided that Varin went wide in the other direction, the two of them could drive one of the cerynth back into the open glade and open it to ranged attack. It would be particularly vulnerable to Lys on high, if the blonde was able to get into position that quickly. He still didn't know what Naniti was capable of but he was sure to find out soon.

 

[Ghruna]

Varin Mortifer Naamino Zuukamano Lysander von Ascania Naniti

The group of acolytes continued planning. Ghruna took the time to let their conversation float on the wind as she pulled her hair into a tight braid and wound it into a hat.

She had inhereted the bright red hair of her father. She couldn't hidw her tail, but she could make herself a little less obvious.

The forest quieted as the last of the hunters slipped beyond the torches. Ghruna headed out alone. The cold on Stewjon tasted different from the storms of Maldrani, heavier on the lungs from the humidity. She welcomed it.

Just like the others, she was offered a glimpse of the Cerynth before the herd vanished. They left almost no trace of their passing.

The other hunters had scattered, each group taking their chosen line. That suited her well enough. Hunting alone was familiar ground.

She dropped to one knee beside where she expected to pick up the trail of The Cerynth. There were almost no hoof prints. Barely a disturbed branch to follow.

She made a quick decision. The zabrak had headed on to scout, the others taking up positions around them.

He had seemed a skilled tracker. They had been instructed not to cut across the paths of the other hunters, but she took that direction literally.

Varin was huge, easier to follow than finding the Cerynth. She kept him within her line of sight and followed them. A kill was a kill. No one had said not to follow another hunter.

The spear was held low to the ground, it's metal tip covered. Her father's third favourite hunting spear.

"Bring it back with a story," he had said. Couldn't even bring his second favourite spear.

Rising, Ghruna set her weight forward and slipped into the trees. No words, no signal. Just the steady, deliberate stride of a predator entering the chase, spear balanced lightly in her grasp.

She followed Varin's trail, hoping their party would pick up the herd.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Darth Carnifex​

Lina felt the darkness before she saw it, coming to a stop as she watched it spread across the ground towards her feet, an unpleasant sensation crept up her spine as the beast stepped forward. In another's hands, she might have found them beautiful, but she knew Carnifex before he stepped from the shadows. She'd recognise his handiwork and theatre anywhere.

Her head tilted at his greeting, her lips forming a cold smile. “Oh, I'm terribly sorry to have disappointed you.” She replied sarcastically, folding her hands to the small of her back and lacing her fingers together. For someone standing facing a proverbial God and his hounds she was remarkably calm.

Behind her the shadow's bent and twisted, unfolding themselves into beast's that carried the scent of the netherworld with them. Three of them, standing close to three meters tall, bared their teeth, their growls rumbled and shook the trees around them as they flexed huge clawed hands waiting for her command.

She wouldn't get a better chance than this, she knew, but she also knew hasty action would make it more costly than necessary. “I don't have all day so do your best to make this worth my while," Her cold emerald eyes melted away, consumed by obsidian as she opened herself to the darkness. "Master.”

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Varin Mortifer Naniti Naamino Zuukamano Ghruna ​

He came to a pause at the edge of a gentle rise, the slope beneath his boots uneven. Mist curled lazily between the trees, and leaves sighed with the shifts of wind. A slow exhale escaped Lysander, grounding himself, letting the forest’s rhythm settle in the space aroundhim. Every sound and scent slowly layered into his awareness. He did not reach out with any extra attunement.. an instinct so often a crutch. So, he forced himself to rely solely on the tools of body and mind honed long ago.

The Zabrak’s hand sign registered immediately. Lysander acknowledged it with the slightest tilt of his head before pressing forward. His boots sank lightly into moss and mud, careful to avoid snapping twigs and leaves. Soon he angled around a trunk, allowing the slope to further guide him upward. A small outcropping gave him a clear line over everything below.

Crouching lower, he let the bow rest above his knee. The young Sith’s weight was perfectly balanced. The high ground was more than a spot for observation. Even here, far from the chaos of Desevro or the lessons of Korriban, the rules were the same. Patience first..

Calloused fingers clenched the strap of his leather quiver before drawing an arrow. The slender shaft rested lightly on his palm. Then, Lysander fitted the arrow onto the string. His muscles coiled in a familiar pattern. His emerald eyes narrowed, waiting for the whisper of chance, should it dare to breathe. In truth.. it had been ages since he had relied on so traditional a method, but he felt ready as ever.

 

[Naniti]

Naniti looked over at Varin as he offered her some dirt. "I'll keep an eye out for a mud pit." Of course he wasn't wrong, but she wasn't going stand there rubbing dirt on herself while others watched.

Though she might consider it later out of sight. A mud pit would have been better for expediency, but also her least favorite option.

Unlike training, the Togruta didn't refrain from using all of her senses. As the group split, Naniti went down the center a fair bit faster than the rest. If they were close enough to notice (perhaps at the start) what they might eventually notice is just how quiet her passing through the brush was. It wasn't absolutely silent -- even a carefully placed foot on soft, forest floor made a little noise -- but it was far from the ruckus one might expect not bothering to tip-toe their way through foliage.

More importantly, her tracking took her along an efficient path to trail the prey. Once she managed to 'catch up' (still being a good distance back and keeping behind the brush) Naniti stopped. She quickly rubbed some of the dirt on her exposed skin to mask her presence just in case the wind turned even momentarily. It'd help in slowly following the herd at a distance.

And it was a herd. So much for taking them alone. Wasn't just one set of eyes from the target she had to worry about, but every set of eyes that just happened to turn to the side and notice a violet woman leaping out of the brush. No, this was definitely a team task. They had to find a way to corral one of them, or lead them into the open for Lysander to take out.

When she sensed the two men flanking her and the herd drawing in, Naniti turned and gave them a silent count with her hands and a direction of where they were presently.

Lysander von Ascania | Varin Mortifer | Naamino Zuukamano
Ghruna

 

[Darth Strosius]

​

Tags: Madrona A’Mia
--------------------------------------------

If He were a pettier man, Darth Strosius might have indulged in the stray thought of digging His claws deeper into the bark when Lady Madrona chided Him for it. Thankfully for the tree, He wasn't that petty. "Scratches add character." He muttered under His breath as He stepped aside and let the Neti do her work in mending the marks He'd left behind. "If they're meant to lead the way then these trees are horrible guides, I can't even tell which direction we're meant to be heading in this...mess."

There was life and its signature presence in the Force in every one of His senses, trying to find anything of value when He had no idea what He was looking for was impossible. With His arms crossed He glanced back at Lady Madrona to see her leaned against the tree in question, seemingly focused on something. Hopefully some sort of route forward. When she pointed off in one direction He followed her finger and let His senses spread there but He still couldn't figure out what she might have found or been gesturing to.

Her cryptic words hardly provided any context either. With a resigned sigh Darth Strosius trudged after the Neti, having to pause and curse occasionally when His robes got caught on stray branches and bold bushes. As He pulled Himself free from another thorn her words finally settled in HIs mind and He fixed her back with a glare. "Wait a minute, are you talking about mushrooms?! A'Mia get back here!" He was going to berate that woman and all her arboreal conspirators before the end of this little venture.

 

[Selene Valeheart]

HUNT OF THE CERYNTH

Wearing: Link
Tags: Irina Jesart

The sounds of the other hunters gradually faded as Selene stepped further into the forest. She kept her pace calm and calculated, being careful to not accidentally step on a twig or something that would give their position away. The Cerynth would no doubt be on alert in the wake of the horn being blown, signalling the start of the Great Hunt.

“Keep an eye out for a glimmer, or shine through the trees.” Selene said, her voice quiet as they ventured further in. “They’ll be riding in a herd initially, but given the amount of hunters there’s a high possibility the herd will splinter at some point.”

Giving them a perfect opportunity to single out one of the creatures.

The duo apprentices continued on for only a short while, before an opening in the trees finally revealed their targets.

Selene paused, almost frozen in place as she locked eyes with one of the Cerynth. It was only for a moment; a heartbeat, before it and the rest of its herd swiftly bolted deeper into the forest. They disappeared through thick foliage, moving as a cohesive unit, leaving only the slightest of disturbances in their wake.

Efficient and graceful indeed.

A spare glance was all Irina was given, before Selene began the chase. She reached to her back, pulling the bow into hand but leaving her quiver alone for the time being. Their prey knew they were being hunted, now it was time to pursue, and find the perfect opportunity to strike.

I have their scent, it’s faint and moving. Could mean they’re running with the wind, which doesn’t work in our favour…

The Great Hunt was on, and the inner hunter within Selene was rejoicing.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Would you have abandoned them?"

Each word struck like thunder, the Dark Lord's shadow growing longer and more distorted as He walked between His beasts. Each one inclined their head down in subservience, the totality of their existence bound to His power and will. He made no mention of the nether-beasts that Lina had conjured, not even sparing them a glance. All of His attention was fixated on the woman before Him, everything that she was chiseled down into a single focus point.

"The other woman would not, the Chiss woman. Even when I took so much from her, the defiance in her eyes never wilted. As her skin crackled and peeled like strips of bark, she never once lost that fury that drove her into the fire in the first place." His smile broadened imperceptibly, revealing more teeth that made His expression all the more predatory. He knew that Ansisa had survived, He'd never sensed the life fade from her fully. She would undoubtedly return, irrevocably changed by His violence.

His mouth nearly watered at the thought.

"What a beautiful monster she'll make. Wouldn't you agree, Lina?"

Lina Ovmar ​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The question gave her pause, she tilted her head in consideration. Guilt still sat like a leadweight in her stomach, not because of the people who had died, but because of the effect it had had on Revna Marr . The correct answer, the answer that should have fallen from her lips should have been 'of course not'.

And yet she couldn't bring herself to say it. That guilt unfurled just a little more and her composure faltered as she averted her gaze momentarily before forcing herself to look back at him.

"I have little time for lost causes."

Every step he took closer, darkened the forest around them a little more. "Ansisa." She told him, her voice quiet. "And probably, yes. You were always the expert at making monsters." He was trying to make her angry to bait a rise from her, but Lina didn't care about Malum's apprentice, she didn't care about Alvaria. The only significance it held in her life was that it was where she had made a choice that had changed the course of her future.

And that it had hurt Revna. Carnifex had hurt Revna.

Again.

"Were you satisfied with your quart of blood? Or are we to expect more wastefulness from you and your filth?"

Darth Carnifex

 

[Skadi Lightbane]

Location: Stewjon
Tags: Aerik Lechner // Warpriest Prime
Wearing: See previous post
​

Skadi had already turned her attention to the forest, eyes piercing through the shadowed misty gloom to the foliage beyond. She was already feeling herself slip into the mindset she needed to be in for a hunt, and Aerik seemed to be doing the same. Her heightened senses, though somewhat dulled by the activity going on around her still, had picked up sounds beyond that perhaps others might have missed.

Aerik certainly hadn’t missed those subtle sound cues.

Just as they were about to set off to begin their search, another figure appeared and Skadi had to take a moment to take in the newcomer. She tried not to stare - but the woman? Being? - was so different from what she’d ever seen that the young Valkyri had a hard time wrapping her mind around it.

"Think I'll tag along with you two. Can't quite tell why yet, but you seem like my kind of people...I hope you prove me right." the unique looking woman purred to both Skaid and Aerik. "Don't fret. I'm not here to steal your glory. The hunt and its rewards are all yours. I just want to see if you're good enough to claim them for yourselves."

Skadi cast her golden gaze at her male companion briefly, as if to silently ask him if he was comfortable with this, before regarding the five eyed woman with her typical boldness.

“I don’t mind you coming with us, so long as my other companions don’t mind. I can’t speak for the others but hunting is something I take very seriously. Interrupt my hunt, and you will be what adornes the wall in my Hall instead of what we pursue.” the young woman said fearlessly to the newcomer. She had no time to beat around the bush or play nice and pretty and kind.

Skadi eyed how the large, colorful and strange humanoid human stepped past, her long tail curling behind her. What a strange but fascinating…creature - Skadi thought to herself as she tilted her head, hearing the large woman make comments towards the one known as Gerwald. Once again her eyes strayed to Aerik to see how he would react to such comments made about his Father.

Aerik turned towards the other woman and stated bluntly that his father was already taken, before he turned back to the forest and the trees. She had come to appreciate his frank honesty and view on things, it was part of what drew her attention to him. She sometimes caught herself thinking or wondering if her Father and Mother would approve of him, before pushing that thought aside. They barely knew each other - despite the fact that she had shared his quarters for a short period of time before finding her place on Dromund Kaas.

Still, she admired the young warrior. She hoped that this hunt would teach her more about him, how well they could work together.

The young man turned towards her and told her to stay with him, to which she gave him a curt nod of understanding before he turned to their newest hunting companion and spoke frankly to her as well.

Without another word he set off into the tree line and just as he had bit her to do so, Skadi remained close by - not uncomfortably so or in a manner as to impede his own hunt, but in a manner to compliment his own tracking or hunting style.

This was as much a learning experience for her as it was an adventure.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Deep Core
Stewjon
Tags: Darth Strosius
Mentions: Darth Carnifex | Lina Ovmar

A great and terrible darkness seeped into the land, roots and hyphae cried out and shrank away from it. The presence wasn't mere death, there was very little that was natural about it, anathema to existence that it was.

Carnifex

A’Mia froze mid-step, her body strangely statuesque and surreal. The fell shadow cast upon the land by that creature was far enough from their location, farther still from where they were headed. Her stride began again as if nothing but a faint glitch in her movement occurred. To Alisteri it might appear as if she was merely double checking the path. She dare not send her senses out closer to the epicenter of his arrival lest it invite unwelcome attention, and she certainly would not bring the attention of Darth Strosius to that particular visitor to the woods.

Affect as pleasant as ever, she responded airily over her shoulder.

”Oooh, so you do know a bit of botany then? Well, mycology,” she chattered happily as she drifted deeper into the darkly beckoning forest.

Up ahead, high on a branch, a tiny ghostly figure came into sight. It appeared to watch their approach with blank black eyes and curiously agape mouth. A‘Mia gasped with apparent glee.

”What a lovely omen! Alisteri, do you know what that is?”

The question was rhetorical, given that she rapidly revealed the answer.

”A forest spirit. They come in many forms, always dependent on the environment, a world’s history and ecological turnings. But look! Oh, there are more— we’re definitely close.”

She picked up speed, somehow her skirt remained miraculously unsnagged and the brambled path ahead always had just the right places for her to step. Meanwhile, her speed and light, surefooted step threatened to leave Alisteri behind if he didn’t pick up the pace.