Public The Key To Eternity [Taeli]

[Darth Carnifex]

CONCURRENT WITH THE FIFTH BATTLE OF CORUSCANT​

As chaotic forces conspired to wreak havoc upon the forces of justice and light at the galactic center, an insidious rot crept closer towards the true prize. The Alliance's mistrust and paranoia had, through various intents, played into the hands of the Dark Lords of the Sith. Confined to the glittering jewel of the Alliance capital, and now beset by the ravenous Maw, there were few who could stand against the Great Devourer and His blasphemous hordes.

Tython, the birthplace of the Jedi. The idyllic world hung weightlessly against the sable backdrop of infinity, illuminated by the glow of Tythos. Several defense galleons idled in orbit above the planet, a skeleton crew of reserve crewmen left behind as the situation at the Alliance capital grew more and more untenable.

Suddenly, a mass of ships exited hyperspace right in front of the Alliance ships. Cannons barked plumes of white-hot plasma, lancing through the smaller galleons and sending explosions rippling through their superstructures. Dozens of fighters maneuvered in the vacuum of space, screeching down through Tython's upper atmosphere. They were shadowed by landing craft, armored vessels carrying the crimson-plated soldiers of the Dark Side.

The ambush cascaded across the entire world, every known garrison swarmed by an enemy that appeared to have materialized from nothing within moments. The mysterious marauders seemed to put great emphasis in congregating around the ancient Je'daii temples, troops and vehicles rapidly deployed to overrun the ruins and clear them of any obstacles.

At Akar Kesh, the Temple of Balance, a singularly unique vessel touched down on the dusty outskirts. The boarding ramp thundered to the ground and three hooded silhouettes emerged, each one carrying the strength and will to dominate life itself. Two of the figures were of equal size and stature, both being far larger than the third that walked between them. They collectively commanded such power that nature itself seemed to bend and warp at their passing, the local flora and fauna writhing in invisible agony in their shadow.

The lead figure pulled back their hood, revealing the scarred visage of Darth Carnifex; Dark Lord of the Sith and former Emperor of the Sith Empire. The other largest removed their covering, unveiling an almost identical visage to that of the former Emperor; Demiurge. The last figure revealed themselves as Taeli Raaf, the Lady of Secrets and Grand Mistress of Monsters.

"The item we seek is below," Carnifex rumbled as He extended a clawed finger towards the looming temple, "The key to restoring the conduit between the living and the dead."

Demiurge smiled, "The key to undoing the Celestial's error."

They both now spoke in unison, "The key to victory eternal."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex
​

And thus her vision was coming to fruition, she thought as they descended the ramp of their transport onto the surface of Tython. The Maw had struck at Coruscant itself, using their Path Engines to bypass the vast territory of the Alliance to hit their heart. Even now, war and death was coming to the planet... and it was an ample distraction to cover for their own plans. The forces under the command of the three Sith had quickly secured the area around the temple they had come to plunder, although Taeli would have preferred a quieter capture than a sudden war fleet, but alas, it would have to do.

It had been several years since she had come to this planet, once host to Darth Isolda's fortress and twisted by the One Sith. The Jedi under the first Alliance had purified it, once again bringing the planet into balance and the light, cleansing the area around the Eye's tower. It could be felt in the Force; that precarious balance in the Force that was Tython, ever moving between light and dark in an endless dance. With their arrival, no doubt somewhere else on the planet was experiencing Force storms or other manifestations permeating from the dark imbalance of the day.

The Temple of Balance of the ancient Je'daii, Akar Kesh, held an important part for their goals, and they would have it today. A nudge in the back of her mind and she closed her eyes as they stepped and the two aspects of Kaine Zambrano spoke. Eldaah was beginning her mission back on Coruscant to protect the interests of her Master and the hidden Sith. She had to resist the urge to shake her head in disappointment at what was occurring at the Alliance capital. It was too soon, even if the New Sith Order and the Maw struck a blow against the GA government and the New Jedi Order. New faces and figures would rotate in, but it did provide ample opportunity. Rebuilding and new policies would be a breeding ground for influence.

"That is the hope," she replied, opening her eyes. "Eldaah and some of my forces are now engaged on Coruscant to protect our interests there." And my own interests, she thought privately. "She'll keep us appraised of events on the world."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

They walked towards the center of Akar Kesh, a massive wading pool where the ancient Je'daii trained and learned about the Light and the Dark from their wise masters. The eight minarets that surrounded the pool were all in various stages of dilapidation, a few standing tall while others had crumbled into the pool and surrounding foliage. Several of the other Je'daii temples had been restored to some fashion of functionality in the intervening years since the One Sith held dominion over Tython, but the Jedi had neglected to repair Akar Kesh.

Perhaps they preferred to leave its secrets lost to the wilds.

Secrets that the Sith coveted.

"Coruscant is not important, the Jedi and the Maw put too much stock in steel and glass." Demiurge mused as he moved around the water's edge, his scarlet eyes cast down towards a series of runic inscriptions that ran along the entire perimeter of the circular pool. Carnifex and Taeli followed behind him, almost ignoring the scenes of struggle occurring around them as several emergency response teams landed to block the invader's intrusion. One of those teams included a Jedi, dressed in white armor over brown vestments, who lunged towards the trio with yellow lightsaber ignited and coiled to trike.

Demiurge reached out with his mind, not even lifting a finger in response, and seized the Jedi with the power of the Dark Side. The Jedi's body contorted violently, bones snapping as limbs were bent at impossible angles. The Jedi's robes then suddenly caught flame, a ravenous inferno that swept the Jedi away to ash.

The trio suddenly stopped, as Demiurge pointing towards one of the runes inscribed in the stone. "There." Carnifex then strode forward and revealed a small mechanical device, ancient in origin, and placed it on top of the rune. The machinery seemed to connect with the stone, melding into the ground as the entire temple rumbled and shook. Machinery, hidden for thousands of years, churned to life deep below the earth. The center of the wading pool opened up like an iris, water rushing down as the entire pool floor split apart into equal segments.

What was revealed was a massive subterranean complex, hidden there by the ancient Je'daii and only opened once in all of history.

Their prize lay within.

Soundlessly Carnifex and Demiurge dropped down into the darkness.

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Stone rose up to embrace their descent, a thin layer of water rapidly accumulating around their feet as the wading pool above drained into the basin below. The water that breached a certain line in the basin was siphoned out through aqueducts and other channels hidden at the farthest limit of their sight. Despite this, water continued to pour down from above, creating a chorus of drips and splashes around the edges of the subterranean cavern.

Taeli Raaf dropped down behind them, standing between them as the trio walked forward into the gloom ahead. The moment their feet left the watery basin, a great clank was heard ahead of them as machinery, ancient beyond reckoning, churned and spun to life. Pale blue light illuminated the cavern from spherical glass lamps built into the walls, revealing the grand extent of the cave before them.

Much was still naturally formed, formed by the passage of water over millions of years, but there were sharp lines and abrupt angles that belied intelligent design. It reminded Carnifex of the Rattataki ruins on Panatha, hidden at the farthest and most remote reaches of His homeland. Those ruins had been protected by mechanical monstrosities and nefarious curses, but He could sense no such malice lurking in this place.

It was clear that it had not been built by the forebearers of the Jedi, but had also been improved by the Jedi thousands of years after its initial construction. From what Carnifex had uncovered from the Jedi archives Lady Raaf had plundered, this temple was being used to hide an ancient relic linked to the power of the Mortis Gods. Statues of the ancient Je'daii Order looked down upon them as they trespassed further, the air growing stale as they breached layer after layer that hadn't seen the light of day in hundreds of years.

At the end of their journey was a massive chamber, once a repository of knowledge and learning that had since been reduced to an empty tomb. The walls which were lined with wonderous artifacts were barren, statues toppled over from neglect as ancient weapons encased in suits of rust littered the floor. Carnifex applied pressure to one of the weapons with the flat of His foot and the weapon crumbled, aged metal bending like papery tin before snapping into benign shards.

"The fate of the Jedi," reflected Carnifex.

"Emptiness and silence," answered Demiurge.

"But the Jedi left us one prize," Carnifex indicated towards the end of the hall, where a faint green glow could be seen through the darkness. "The power of the Mortis Gods." What awaited them was a squat altar built in the shape of a truncated pyramid, runic inscriptions rolling across its every surface. It alone gave off an eerie green illumination, which only intensifies as the trio of Dark Lords approached quietly. "The power to reshape the galaxy..."

Both Carnifex and Demiurge reached out with the Force, both exercising their power against the altar. They had learned during their study that the vault had been sealed with the power of two, a master and an apprentice. Though neither was the master nor the apprentice of the other, they both held such a strong connection that through their strength alone could they open the vault. The top of the altar swiveled and floated a meter in the air, the green light growing unbearably intense as the altar was opened through their power.

And within, to the growing astonishment of the three Dark Lords, was a single shard of otherworldly metal.

The prize they had been seeking.

"A fragment of the Mortis Dagger," breathed Demiurge.

"The key to eternity."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Landing gently, almost floating at the end with a gentle application of the Force, she took in their surroundings. It was much as the archives on Ossus had described it. A soothing resting place for a power that had shaped the flow of space and time, a place of solitude and serenity... of balance. But it was as any of the ancient temples of the galaxy discovered by the denizens of the worlds, and showed how others before them and the passage of time had worn away some of the grandeur.

The prize though, remained.

As the two Kaines proceeded towards the alter at the end, Taeli lingered for a time in examining some of the toppled statuary and the weapons reduced to nothing by age. Her natural scholarly instincts were taking in everything, observing and cataloguing and dating everything present. Most importantly, she could see evidence that Skywalker's New Jedi Order had once held guard here, tattered remnants of tapestries of their emblem remained on a down statue.

But it was the revelation of the artifact within that drew her attention back. A piece of the weapon that could kill even gods. She had not shared this with anyone, but she had held private concerns for some time that the current state of the galaxy could once again allow Abeloth to coalesce Beyond Shadows and then in corporeal form to take advantage of the chaos she embodied. To have even a sliver of the dagger that had felled the Ones and Akala was too tempting for the three Sith indeed.

"I doubt it would be this easy," she said. "There has to be some sort of test. To claim even a sliver of the Mortis Dagger without challenge would be arrogant even for the Jedi."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The Jedi are renowned for their bold arrogance..."

The chamber stirred as ancient machinery rumbled to life as the way behind them was shut by massive stone slabs. Without warning, a force field snapped into existence between the trio of Sith and the altar. Separated from their prize, Carnifex and Demiurge turned to face the chamber behind them.

Statues, once hidden by the darkness that clung to the peripheries of the room, now slowly warbled into action. As they came closer towards the center of the room, the light began to illuminate their features more prominently. All of them were made out of white alabaster stone, though gaps in the stone revealed an entire mechanical apparatus that gifted them motion. Each statue was chiseled in the likeness of a Jedi Master of the Order, each one ripped straight from the galactic history books.

One resembled Obi-Wan Kenobi, another Kyle Katarn, and another Avar Kriss. There were about twenty of them in total, all made in the image of ancient Jedi. With movements eerily fluid of mechanical limbs, they all drew their sabers and ignited them. Each lightsaber blade was correctly color-coded to the statue's likeness.

"Though I am inclined to believe that you are right, Lady Raaf."

A lightsaber slipped into Demiurge's hands, the blade igniting cinnabar red. Carnifex extended His hand and a blade appeared between His fingers wreathed in sickly green fog. The statues reacted by adopting the stances preferred by their living counterparts, spreading out in a wide crescent around the trio of Sith.

"It is a paltry comfort to face stone Jedi, but I will take what pleasure I can in their destruction."

A moment passed and the battle was joined.

Taeli Raaf ​