Private The Lost and Found

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice ​

The Unknown Regions held many secrets. Despite the numerous operations to map them, there was always something new to be discovered, or be rediscovered in this case. Darth Morta had been prodding the ever-shifting, dangerous hyperlanes, especially around Zakuul and Jurio, and struck gold. On an otherwise unremarkable terrestrial planet with no name, just the survey designation TOI 74219 d, she felt the lingering tingle of Dark Side power.

Upon landing at the site, Morta saw an ancient Sith temple surrounded by old-growth trees with moss growing on some of the stone, though a lot of the vegetation seemed to ignore it, like even the plants knew disturbing the temple was a bad idea. Animals, on the other hand, Morta spotted and sensed several of them moving around the temple, and some of them seemed to have their reflections in the force warped by the ambient Dark Side energies in the area.

Morta entered the temple carefully; these old sites were full of all kinds of traps, tricks, and all other sorts of hazards, but the knowledge that could be gained was well worth the risk.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

Avarice had come to the temple in search of something lost long ago, another relic to add to his growing collection of Holochrons. His last discovery had led him here, down into the old bones of the place, where dust slept thick along the interior entryway.

He padded through the dim passage with a curious ease, his attention drifting over cracked stone, sealed alcoves, and the faint residue of powers long since gone silent. He paused suddenly feeling as anothers presence drew near.

Avarice went still, his breath easing into a a held silent pause. He pressed his signature down further, folding it into the deeper shadows until only the faintest trace remained. Then he slipped aside, patient and watchful, waiting to see who had wandered into the temple's hushed entry way.

Upon the red red Twi'lek's entry, he lingered where the darkness gathered thickest, studying her in silence. Only after she had passed did he begin to follow in her wake.

The Force gathered around him in a subtle current, of slow languid air. It curled close to his body, smoothing the space beneath each careful step, swallowing the faint scrape of sole against stone and softening the minute tremors that might have carried through the corridor. Even the fabric at his sleeve seemed reluctant to betray him thanks to the subtle manipulation of sound through the very air about his form..

Avarice stalked after her like a prowling panther in the dark curious to see where she might lead him.

 

[Darth Morta]

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Tag: Avarice​

Darth Morta, despite being careful, still walked in like she owned the place, the sound of her heeled boots clacking on the millennia-old stone floor and echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

She had no idea what hidden knowledge might be contained within these walls, and she wanted all of it. To that end, Morta opened herself up to the force more, looking through the low background haze of Dark Side energies for artifacts that might resonate more strongly. She sensed several things that might be interesting, but she'd need to physically examine them to find out if they were worth the taking.

Morta turned towards the center of the temple, where a large glass roof had mostly collapsed over time. It seemed to be a central hub that led out to the different portions of the temple. She paused there, looking around, trying to decide which way to go.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

Lust red orbs watched her carefully before he paused crossing his arms, the weight of his lithe frame settled into one hip, every inch of him arranged with insufferable leisure and the careful over tone of put on arrogance of the pea-cocking he was about to preform through a calculated display of Dun Moch.

"Lost already, are we little lady~?" Avarice asked, his voice light with pleased amusement. "How disappointing. I thought the temple had lured in a hunter with teeth, not a tourist....And here I thought Sith were meant to be decisive."

There was an unmistakable sentiment of a grin in the tone of his voice beneath that mask.

 

[Darth Morta]

Tag: Avarice ​

"Not all those who wander are lost, child." Darth Morta spat the last word back in a tone of mild amusement and disdain as she turned to face what she could only describe as a petulant child, feeling the need to justify herself.

The fact that she hadn't seen or sensed him until he made himself known was mildly disconcerting to Morta, but she kept that emotion buried. He was either an apparition of the temple's ambient dark side corruption, in which case she wouldn't let the temple get to her, or far more likely, he was another dark side user come to take advantage of the temporary window granting access to this system to seek out artifacts.

Morta reached back, not to touch her lightsabers, but the scythe, Crimson Harvest, she wore on her back, the feeling of the Sarrassian Iron amplifying her connection to the dark side was comforting to her, and an unconscious tell that she didn't feel in full control of a situation.

"If you must know, I sense more than one artifact of significance. I am merely considering my options on which one to pursue first, rushing in blindly will only lead to unnecessary problems." She spoke, an honest memory of her days as an urchin on Ryloth, picking her targets carefully to pick pockets or steal bags from to make sure she had food for the day, briefly surfacing before she crushed it.

 

[Avarice]

Tags: Darth Morta

He watched her hand move toward the weapon and raised a brow.

"If I am but a child, art thou so frightened as to raise more than thy hand to me?" he queried, making no motion to reach for any weapon of his own. "Do you fear the unknown that greatly?"

He stifled a breathless little giggle. "Or is it what lurks in the dark that frightens you?" he asked softly, sounding utterly amused by the very notion that she might find him threatening.

"Perhaps, if I am a child, I am the one who is lost…" he mused. "But then again, perhaps I know exactly where we are, and you have stumbled into my humble abode, trespasser."

His gaze settled on her with a foxlike mirth.

"You come here seeking power, yet tremble at the first shadow that speaks back. I come here for knowledge. We are not the same." His smile thinned, pleasant as a knife kept polished for ceremony. "There is no need for us to hurry toward violence… unless, of course, you require it to feel brave."