Private The Otherside

[Lina Ovmar]

The Valley of the Dark Lords glowed a deep amber in the setting sun, sand and dust motes caught in beams of light, glittered between the stretching shadows of statues of old. The energy was that of anticipation; Lina could almost feel the old spirits leaning in as if ready to watch the show and meddle where they saw fit. Far beneath her feet, she knew her mother's holocron was buried; she could hear its whisper, taunting as ever in the back of her mind.

Lina ignored it, her focus shifting to the two people bound and gagged resting on their knees before her. The ritual to open the portal called for blood, normally her own, but this wasn’t a simple case of stepping through herself and closing the door behind her. This door needed to be held, to be stable and to carry more than just herself through.

Truth be told, she had expected to be going alone. There was still the whisper in the back of her mind that this was all a lie, that the other shoe would drop and Revna and Strosius would turn on her, just like everyone else, so when she’d asked if they wanted to join her to hunt for this creature, she had been surprised when they had agreed.

Emerald eyes shifted towards the setting sun. Another hour and it would be dark, and the veil between worlds would be at its thinnest. Lina set to work, Wraithspire clutched between both hands as she began to draw in the sand, complex runes fixing into place as she traced them despite the wind trying to shift them.

Revna Marr Darth Strosius

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

The setting of Horuset was always one of Revna’s favorite moments of the day; the red hues of Korriban became deeper and more pronounced, as if the world was being bathed in blood - the herald that announced the coming of another bitterly cold night upon the sacred Tomb World. Revna had long since adjusted to the planet’s chill, though she still preferred to wear her heavier sorceress robes whenever she was moving out and about - a trait she had seemingly picked up from her Master, though she rarely wore a mask like He did. The nippy wind tugged at her robes and blew her silver-black hair about her face as she waited nearby, watching her dear friend Lina mark ritual lines and runes in the red sand with a staff that radiated dark energy and power. Bound and gagged nearby were two individuals, whose purpose was to open some sort of gateway via their blood, and not too far away was yet another very familiar figure to both women: the Sith Lord, Darth Strosius.

Both Revna and her Master had agreed to join Lina on this journey of hers into the Nether, and help her hunt down and tame some creature in the Beyond. Revna had never been to the Nether, and she was fairly certain that her Father hadn’t been there either - so they both would have to work closely with Lina in order to get in and make it back out alive and in one piece. There was some nervousness that coiled in the Disciple’s belly; she knew this adventure would be dangerous, but the life of a Sith was not one of peace or security.

She turned her ember colored eyes, framed by black veins that were slowly growing more prominent underneath her pale skin, towards the last rays of the setting, dying red star - watching how the shadows lengthened within the Valley. As darkness made its approach, Revna could feel the spirits of the dead watching, some curiously and others with less than savory auras. Beyond these unseen spirits, the more wild walking dead known as the Jen’ari, shambled about as well, a few of which were nearby watching the trio of Sith with some semblance of curiosity. Under normal circumstances, they might have attacked - but Revna was not concerned about them, nor the spirits that lingered about. She knew that they would not approach nor harass them...not while she was with both Lina and her Father anyway.

She had a feeling, however, that this sort of safety net would not exist where they were going. She had no idea what to expect, what might come next, and she was rather thankful that she had two individuals that she could trust to be right there with her once they stepped through the portal.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius skirted around the shambling dead with no small amount of caution and wariness, His lightsaber gripped tightly in His hand as He made His way through the Valley towards the site of the ritual. This was all far from His area of familiarity and comfort but it was necessary for the task at hand it seemed. Although He didn't at all like how the undead would peer at Him with their lifeless eyes, He resisted the urge to cut such offending things out in favor of having a quicker journey.

The matters and dealings of a place such as the Nether were far beyond His purview but such wasn't the case for Lady Ovmar. When she had first mentioned this errand of venturing into the Nether to find some horrid beast, He had been rather glad that she was doing so alone. However, given the nature of not only His condition but also that of His daughter's, His lacking experience in such matters had proven quite the obstacle. So He had offered to assist her instead, and when the topic of Korriban as a ritual site came up it only seemed natural to bring along Revna as well.

The masked man wasn't at all a fan of the idea of delving into the realm of the dead on the hunt for some creature but the understanding that He could gleam from it was simply too valuable to ignore. He wasn't sure when he'd have another opportunity to do so, He didn't know of any others that tampered with the Nether aside from Lady Ovmar herself. For better or worse.

"Is it the appropriate time yet?" His voice cut through the silence of the graves around them as He stopped just short of where the runes had been carved into the sand, sweeping over the display with a seemingly idle gaze that made note of the whole array for future reference. "We overstay our welcome in the Valley of the Dark Lords, the Sith long since passed are no more eager to share their territory than those that still draw breath." From what little experience He did have with the dead that much had always been a certainty.

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina's lips curled into a smile at Strosius' obvious discomfort. "As ever, Lord Strosius, your patience is lacking." She spoke without taking her gaze from her work. "We'll be just fine, so long as we keep a civil tongue," she glanced over her shoulder then, the smirk evident in the fading light. "Should be good practice for you." Satisfied with her work, she stepped back, gazing at the disappearing sun and closing her eyes, lips moving soundlessly. Shadows stretched for her as she plunged into the dark side of the force, the staff thumping against the ground once, a wave of energy rolling from it that kicked up sand and sent the lurking Jen'ari skittering deeper into the shadows.

The air seemed to split before them, a tear opening between worlds, as voices and whispers spilt from beyond it, filled with malice and hatred. It flickered and twitched like it was trying to expand. Lina opened her eyes, revealing obsidian ords, where glittering emeralds had been before. Two fingers on her free hand flicked, spears of midnight black forming above the two sacrifices and driving through them without so much of a pause, their lifeblood staining the ground below as the staff hummed with energy, the runes flaring as Lina sought to control the rift. It was a battle of wills, chaos seeking to escape to wreak havoc, charging the energy around them and Lina seeking to control it, to bend it to her will.

For a moment, she questioned herself. Had she chosen the wrong location? A thinner veil should have been easier. Or perhaps her sacrifices were lacking. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the last of the Horiset's rays vanished behind the horizon, bitter cold washing over them. Lina thumped the staff again, a crack resounding around them as she did, and suddenly the air was still. The whispers faded, and the tear settled, relaxing into a soft archway. Lina's shoulder relaxed, and she let out a breath, releasing her grip from the staff, which stayed where it was still humming with energy.

Turning back to face them, her eyes still bore their black sheen. "That will hold until we come back through, nothing else should come in or out and if it does..." She cast a glance around her at the statues of the long-dead Sith Lords "Well, I'm sure our esteemed hosts will enjoy making use of them." She extended a hand to Revna, smiling. "Ready?"

Revna Marr Darth Strosius

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

Revna attempted to hide a smirk at the clear impatience her Master was exhibiting when He asked Lina if the ‘appropriate time’ had arrived yet, and she could see very easily His discomfort towards the shambling undead that meandered about. His comment about them ‘overstaying’ their welcome made her chuckle softly with mild amusement, mirth that only grew when Lina was quick to verbally poke at Him in regards to His patience, or lack thereof, and that they would no doubt be fine should they stay civil…and it should provide a good opportunity for Him to be so. Now that made Revna laugh, the sound of it carrying upon the chilly winds of Korriban.

“No need to fret, Master. They will not disturb us, not while I am with the two of you anyway.” She said to the Sith Lord, before turning her gaze towards a couple of encroaching Jen’ari that had come closer out of curiosity, their bones creaking and clacking as they did so. “Bac'kaj sulig stai, ir serjek tave kapas.” Revna said to them, as well as to any unseen spirits that lurked, in the ancient Sith tongue, the weight of command filling her quietly spoken words as it settled over them.

Obediently, the Jen’ari turned and ambled away and deeper into the Valley itself, though she was no longer paying attention to them and instead had her focus on Lina who had now immersed herself in the Dark Side, her lips moving soundlessly as the staff thumped on the ground once and energy rolled out from it. Any other Jen’ari that had remained nearby skittered back into the shadows, as a rip in the fabric of reality seemed to appear before Lina, Revna, and Darth Strosius. Whispers from beyond spilled into the atmosphere around them, voices undiscernible but filled with hatred and malice that gave Revna a chill that raced along her spine. It was at this moment that Lina flicked two fingers and black spears of midnight formed above the two bound sacrifices, plunging into them with fatal intention. Blood poured forth from their bodies and seeped into the red sands. The ritual runes flared with dark power and energy and from Lina Revna could feel a surge of power as the elder Sith Lord battled for control over the portal.

As chaotic energy bled forth and filled the space around the three of them, Revna felt the Void within her stir and a pulse of cold and raw Hunger flared through her sharply, seeking to devour the energy that was now present around them. Revna inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment as she fought for control over herself, over the Void, exerting her will over it like she had on Brosi. The Hunger’s edge dulled, the flare up simmering back down into the dark places in her soul…but it wasn’t gone completely. It was waiting, and she knew it was. She opened her eyes once more and cast a glance over to her Father, before returning her focus back on Lina and the portal that was opening to allow them entry into the Nether.

The last of Horuset’s rays vanished from the sky as darkness truly descended upon the trio of Sith and the ritual site; Lina tapped the staff once more and a resounding crack echoed through the Valley, before everything grew very still and quiet. The older Sith woman sighed in relief and stepped back, leaving the staff to stand on its own, held up by the weight of the magik used in the ritual.

Lina then turned to them both and said that the portal should hold and stay open for them and should anything come through, then their ‘esteemed hosts’ would no doubt enjoy making use of such entities or things. She then extended her hand to Revna with a smile and asked if she was ready. Revna nodded and placed her hand in Lina’s as she glanced over at Darth Strosius, a hint of anxiety in her eyes. There was the thought in the back of her mind that all three of them could become trapped within the Nether, separated, or perhaps even killed. Was this the last time she would ever see these two individuals alive? She hoped not. She rather liked having both Lina and her Father around in her life.

“I am ready if He is.”

 

[Darth Strosius]

A scoff, one slightly riddled with what almost sounded like a growl beneath His breath, escaped the masked man at the admonishment He received in kind from Lady Ovmar. "Just focus on the portal will you? I'd rather not have us all lost for a few months as you were." There was surprisingly little heat behind His words despite the condescension that they implied. If anything they were more concerned than insulting. This was far beyond His typical expertise or comfort after all, completely at the mercy of Lady Ovmar's capabilities. He didn't like it.

"It isn't them that I'm worried about, my dear." Darth Strosius cast a glance back at His daughter as she practically shooed off the shamblers, a minor comfort but one that was welcomed. They were unsettling things to be sure but their presence was more a reminded of what they were about to delve into rather than a direct threat themselves. Although He wouldn't at all be pleased to have one touch Him nevertheless.

As the ritual began and the air seemed to carve itself open, the masked man reflexively stepped back and tightened His grip on the lightsaber hilt in His gloved hand. His visor was set firmly on watching the writhing portal-in-progress, His robes whipping wildly in the wind that it stirred up as the whispers and sacrifices alike made His skull suddenly throb in protest. His free hand clutched the side of His mask, biting into His own lip to silence a groan as His eyes closed to try and dull the pulsating that had cropped up to violate His mind and head. Both physically and something that went far deeper than skin level.

Only when the portal stabilized did the throbbing relent somewhat, still present but now at least manageable without having to wince and try to detach Himself from the occurrences around Him. Darth Strosius did notice something very peculiar indeed when He opened His eyes however. The tendrils which leaked from His robes had grown to their full length, radiating their pale light as they all stuck straight towards the portal in spite of His attempts to diminish them.

They were so intent that He even felt His feet sliding slightly towards the archway, physically being pulled towards it just enough to be noticed but not enough to make Him stumble forward. Darth Strosius felt the eyes of Revna and Lady Ovmar on Him as the ringing in His ears subsided enough to hear them, giving them a brief glance before clearing His throat and nodding. "Yes, well, I suppose we should make haste then shouldn't we? No sense in standing around."

He took two hesitant steps forward, encroaching upon the portal and pausing as His "wings" gave a more persistent pull towards it. Just enough to make Him sway forward slightly before He caught Himself. "Right. Right." Darth Strosius took a breath to steady Himself before He marched into the archway, disappearing into it within one stride before He could convince Himself to pause in the middle of it.

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr