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

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina followed Revna's gaze to her Master and drew in a breath of surprise at the fully extended "wings" reaching for the portal. She took a moment to appreciate them in all their grandeur before recomposing herself as he stepped through, leaving her and Revna alone for a moment. "Were they... pulling him?" she asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. Shaking her head, she gave Revna's hand a gentle squeeze. "Come on." She stepped towards the portal and stepped through. Only releasing her grip on Revna's hand when she felt her come through.

The force felt different here, charged and running through them like a living current. Lina felt it humming in her very bones, the vibrations drawing an involuntary hum of contentment from her. The ground beneath their feet pulsed, breathing like an ancient creature. Every sense stretched thin, she could taste memory, hear emotion, feel time unravelling in slow, deliberate spirals. This was no place bound by gravity or sky. This was the place between where the Force whispered in voices both living and long dead.

Calm and confident, Lina seemed taller; every move she made was echoed like a ripple in the air behind her. The obsidian that obscured her green eyes stretched outwards in thin veins like a Venetian mask. Shadows pooled at her feet, and as she looked to her companions, spindly creatures began to crawl out of them, humanoids stretched thin with long fingers and yellow eyes peering out from otherwise featureless faces. They crouched at her sides, her hands running absentmindedly over their heads.

Her gaze drifted to her companions, giving them a moment to acclimatise.

Darth Strosius Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

As the portal was being opened, Revna observed her Father reach and clutch the side of His helmed head, as if He was experiencing some sort of pain - and a flicker of concern washed through her. She almost moved to Him to offer aid, when she noticed something else that left her momentarily stunned. Darth Strosius’s golden and ethereal wings grew far more pronounced as the portal to the Netherworld opened before them, and her mouth partially opened in a wordless gasp as she watched Him be practically pulled towards the doorway by His wings…as if they had a mind of their own.

He made a comment about how they should make haste and not stand around any longer than necessary…before He both stepped and was tugged towards the portal…before disappearing through it and to the other side. A stab of fear pierced through Revna at the sight of Him stepping through and into the Nether…a fear that washed over her with a cold embrace that threatened to freeze her heart in her chest. Her grip on Lina’s hand tightened as her face paled, and wild thoughts of never seeing Him again ripped through her mind.

Revna closed her eyes tightly to reign her thoughts in and bring them back under her control, her jaw clenching in her effort to banish the thoughts and capture the fear and make it serve her instead.

"Come on." Lina said after a moment, still holding onto Revna’s hand and guiding her forward until they too stepped through the portal and to the other side.

Instantly, Revna was slammed with sensations that she had never experienced on the mortal plane. The Force was strong here…stronger than even in a nexus. It wrapped around and filled Revna and she felt as if she might drown in it; normally, she would have welcomed such an influx of power but this…was just about beyond what she could handle. And beyond that, it caused something within her to shift, and she acutely felt the Void Hunger that resided within her. For one blinding and terrible moment, Revna couldn’t tell where she began and where the Void ended. They were one and the same in the Nether. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt as if her mind was being ripped apart at the seams, flayed from her consciousness with each passing second. Whispers filled her mind…voices of the dead, of souls long gone to ash and dust. Faces swam before her mind’s eye…the faces of those she had consumed to feed the Void. Her only anchor to reality, to her existence, was Lina’s hand in her own and Revna gripped it so tightly that it would be painful.

And then suddenly…it all vanished. Or rather…the two parts of her became one. Her presence deepened, darkened…her own aura shifting between her own and that of a strange shadow that was intertwined with her very being, making her appear almost wraith-like. When she opened her eyes, they were not the fiery orbs that Lina or Alisteri would know…but the inky blackness that revealed nothing. They could see nothing within…but she could see everything.

Just like how she had on Brosi when she gave in to the Hunger and allowed it to take over her for that brief moment in time.

But here…it was different. She still felt as if she was herself…mostly. The Void was there, but it wasn’t tempting her to surrender to its siren call. It almost felt…content. At ease. At home.

Through the Eyes of the Void, she could see Lina and her Father. Things were attached to them too, though in different ways. There was a tug within her soul…a brief and almost lazy desire to reach out and consume the things that drifted around them, pooled in the shadows…but she resisted the Hunger and it drifted back into obscurity.

Revna, or whatever she was, turned to regard Lina in deathly silence, abyssal eyes piercing through the other Sith woman…waiting for her to make the next move, the next call to action.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius had already drifted a small distance from the portal by the time the pair had entered, although not forwards. Rather He was currently floating as it were, hovering with a hand outstretched far above Himself. Much like Lady Ovmar and Revna, the masked man's appearance had become very unusual indeed. His robes maintained His figure and silhouette but an odd sort of gradient had swept over His form, leaving a darkened core that spread into an ashen grey at the edges of His body.

There would be subtle leavings whenever He shifted, not at unlike embers or cinders falling from smoke as it billowed through the air. His wings, unlike the rest of His rather muted form, were resplendent and full. Whereas typically even in their more exposed state they were still disjointed and distinct tendrils, now they flowed into one another in a subtle pale golden weave. They exuded a pulsing white glow, one that extended to crest His hooded head with a sort of crown of twin prongs jutting out from a circular base.

He turned to regard the pair, His face and mask fully obscured by the same gradient which had overtaken the rest of His form and hidden beneath the hood but His golden gaze was as brilliant as His wings. Although, at some moments the gold seemed to flicker to a bright crimson instead. His whole form flickered occasionally actually. When not directly observed His silhouette seemed to shift, lengthening and shortening and widening and narrowing as though adopting the figures of different people, but He always returned to the more familiar form of Himself.

A wary glance was cast to Revna, running over her form with what must have been concern behind the orbs of light. "I must say, this is quite different from my initial entry here in my demise." Much like when He was unmasked, a choir trailed His words as He idly glanced over Himself and the pair below Him. His gaze seemed to pause at His hands for a moment, noticing that they were apparently clawed. He quickly clenched them into fists as He descended to stand beside Lady Ovmar, albeit out of range of the little creatures at her feet. "I sense the Force but I don't see the ocean stretching across the galaxy. Where are we?"

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina observed in silence, her head tilting as she watched the forms of her friends shift. The Nether revealed more of them than they were likely to ever do normally. Revna's now obsidian gaze reflected her own, the deep purr of a creature hidden within her, stretching like a nexu before a warm fire, content and watching from within. She was still Revna, but she was also more.

As for Strosius, he was something else entirely, almost angelic yet deadly. Golden glowing wings and a centre of shadow and light. He was breathtakingly beautiful. The creatures around her chittered with excitement as he lowered, hands curling to hide long clawed fingers. It was not the first time she'd seen him try to hide something of himself.

Lina hesitated for a moment, torn between keeping boundaries and following the instinct that tugged her towards him. The choir of voices that echoed his own running through her very core. She took a breath, recovering her composure and catsing her gaze out.

"We're nowhere. This place has no name, is claimed by no one. It is the space between places, where lost souls wander." She lifted a hand, pointing towards a roiling storm in the distance to their left. "One of six entrances to the Void lie withing the storm. If you can make it through, the Gaurdians at the Gate will ensure you do not open it." To their right, the land shifted rising into what could only be called a forest, of lifeless white trees that stretched so high the canopy was too far to see. "Dzis iw Kakija," the shadow walkers chittered again, though this one was nervous as the shifted around her, "the Forest of Memories. The beast we seeks holds its lair at its centre, but I am hoping our presence here will draw it out for a hunt. Alone, I am not worth his interest, but together," she cast her eyes over both of them. "Well together, we are an irresistible meal."

Darth Strosius Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Darth Strosius // Lina Ovmar ​

Revna remained where she was, simply taking in everything that she saw, that was around the three of them. Though she was seeing through the Eyes of the Void, they were still her eyes, connected to her mind and her thoughts and voice. Her vision was drawn towards the figure that was Darth Strosius, who floated a short distance away from her and Lina, suspended in the air by His majestic wings. His whole presence felt familiar and yet different here.

It was almost…as if she was in the presence of a truly divine being. She could feel His distinct presence, and yet it flickered between that and something more, something greater. Something…godly. Even the Void within her retreated before that presence, as if in deference before Him.

That was something new. Something she made a mental note of, something to bring up with Him later on…once they had completed their task here and had made it safely back into the realm of the living.

When He spoke, His voice echoed as if it were a choir, a myriad of other voices trailing after His own - something she had heard when He had removed His mask so they could see each other face to face after her rescue. He remarked that this place was different from His last visit, and that though He could sense the Force all around them - He didn’t see the same vision He’d had when He died - the ocean stretching out before Him, around all things. He inquired of Lina where they were exactly, and Revna turned her attention back to the other woman to hear her response.

Lina hesitated for a moment, her gaze still upon a radiant and resplendent Darth Strosius, before she seemed to pull herself from her inner thoughts enough to respond to the Sith Lord as He settled Himself back upon solid ground. This place that they had come to, had no name. It was a space where lost souls found themselves, forever to wander this strange place.

Lina gestured towards a storm out in the far distance and explained that one of the six entrances to the Void lay within it, and that there were Guardians of the Gate there, to ensure that no one opened it. Next, she drew their attention to what looked like a forest of trees…bone white trees that were devoid of life and stretched as far as the eye could see above them, perhaps even beyond what their eyes could witness. A phrase in High Sith was uttered, before Lina explained further that the dead trees they were seeing was known as the Forest of Memories - and their target held a lair within its center. She hoped that their presence would draw out the beast she sought after, and Revna couldn’t help but cast a wary glance towards the Forest.

She had no idea what lay in store for them, nor what was coming.

“Well…if it is going to come to us in hopes of a meal…then we need a plan of action for when it arrives. Any ideas?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

His golden gaze was interrupted by a blink, accompanied by His shaded head tilting to the side as He noticed that Lady Ovmar seemed to be hesitating. For some reason. A quick glance cast towards His daughter found nothing amiss, at least not any more so than was already, with her so perhaps the issue was with Himself then? Darth Strosius pulled His wings against His back, the pale gold folding against the gradient without lightening it at all, as idly cleared His throat.

Thankfully their guide had regained her composure relatively quickly, although she didn't quite answer His question as He had hoped. "...Mhm...I see..." He hoped that the confusion written across His face wasn't visible beneath His unusual visage. He had absolutely no idea what the entrances and their gate guardians might entail so instead He followed the tree line off to their right with His gaze as she spoke of it. Forest of Memories, now that sounded far more manageable. Even with the beast lurking somewhere within.

His gaze swept over the tapestry of ivory trees, without His mask one could see the subtle squints and darting of His golden eyes as they seemed to roam and capture every detail they could from where He stood. Their observation was only briefly interrupted when Lady Ovmar mentioned that the three of them were effectively bait, a squint shooting her way. Yet with no heat in it to be called a glare. When Revna spoke and rightfully asked for some strategy in order to deal with the task at hand He clicked His tongue and pointed towards the forest, before quickly pulling back His clawed finger to nod towards it instead.

"If it will come to us then we can lay an ambush, make use of what we have at hand to make some traps and snares to weaken it before we need to assault it ourselves." Of course such an idea hinged on the beast making its way towards them rather than needing to be drawn out manually, but with enough preparation all they would need is for it to chase in the right direction. If that didn't work then Darth Strosius could always go toe to toe with the creature Himself, keep it occupied while Lady Ovmar and Revna wounded it from the flanks.

Although in this more unfamiliar form He wasn't quite sure how robust His physical prowess would be compared to that of His actual form. Would He be weaker here or had His enhancements carried through the portal as well? Would it even matter if they had or hadn't, this beast could prove more formidable than He was in brute strength. There was always His warform but making use of such a horrid form in front of not only Lady Ovmar but His daughter as well as almost entirely out of the question. Almost. "...How strong is it again?"

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina tilted her head. Clearly he did not see, but what was not to see. He had asked where they were and she had answered, had she not? Obsidian eyes searched the glow that obscured his masked visage from view. It was hard enough to read him on a normal day, but now? She set it aside in her mind, something to mull over and pick apart later if the time allowed it. Her gaze shifted to Revna, softening as it did at her question. there was a lot she had not divulged to them about what was required.

It wasn't out of malice or even negligence, its just that there was a lot to cover and not a lot of time. When Strosius answered his hand pointing briefly towards the forest before he snatched it away from sight. This time she did not fight instinct moving as he laid out plans and asked about the creature itself.

"He," she began, coming to a stop in front of him, "is called Kirazi." Gently she reached for his wrist, lifting the hand into view. "He consumes souls, he is not picky if they belong to the living or dead." Gently she uncurled his long clawed fingers looking down at them with a smile, tracing her own along them. "Dhasias." Looing back up at him. "Shias tsiyiâ manatsa, tuti zo dtik." For a beat she remained there, before stepping back drawing herself away, like she remembered where they were and that they had a task to complete.

Her eyes flicked to Revna's as if remembering she was there, that they were not alone. Pink dusted her cheeks and she gave a small almost imperceptible apologetic smile, before clearing her throat. "In a word, very. His power is not my concern, my concern is the Forest. Walking through it to reach him will be a challenge in itself, the forest is alive and it will speak to you. Ancestors, dead masters, friends, enemies. Whatever you are connected to, be it through blood or through the taking of a life, it has a voice here. There are paths through, if you can ignore the whispers you'll be fine. Step off the path and you're in danger of losing yourself."

Her gaze shifted between them. "It is easier with friends, easier if you are willing to lean on one another. If you are struggling, you must say. We cannot follow one another off the path but we can stop each other before that point." She paused letting that point sink in before continuing. "Once we're through, the goal is to subdue, not kill. I need to overpower his will with mine."

Darth Strosius Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

Revna didn’t miss the silent interaction between Lina and Darth Strosius. Or rather - that initial look on Lina’s face upon seeing Alisteri in His more majestic form…nor the seeming brief look or sensation of confusion that rippled from the Sith Lord’s form. He glanced at Revna very briefly, as if to weigh the moment and try to understand why Lina had hesitated the way she had.

He moved on rather quickly, however, when Revna voiced her question as to what their plan was now that they were within the Nether. His suggestion was that they lay an ambush for it, pointing towards the Forest before quickly lowering His hand, as if embarrassed to reveal it - and said they could use their skills and what tools they had at hand to weaken it before outright attacking it. But that was said with the assumption that the creature would come to them first.

Strosius inquired how strong the creature was and Revna turned her attention back to Lina to hear the other woman’s response. At first, the older woman was still, her attention still upon the radiant Darth Strosius, before she moved towards Him as if drawn to Him by some sort of tether. She stopped directly in front of Revna’s Father, revealing the name of the creature to them both as she reached out and cautiously wrapped her fingers around Alisteri’s wrist. Revna instinctively tensed - expecting Strosius to react rather harshly to Lina reaching into His personal space to take a hold of Him. Gently, Lina coaxed His clawed hand to open, saying as she did so that Kirazi liked to feast on souls - be they of the living or the dead.

She traced her fingers along His own, shifting from Basic to a language that Revna was familiar with - enough so that she was able to understand what Lina told Alisteri. Revna inhaled a soft breath, one of surprise, as she watched the moment unfold. Lina literally holding Alisteri’s hand and then looking up at Him as she told Him in High Sith the beauty she saw in Him.

Revna blinked - and in that moment, Lina had already released Him and stepped back. She cast Revna an almost bashful glance, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. It took all of Revna’s willpower to not utterly beam at what she had just heard and witnessed. Still, the edges of her lips curled upwards in a faint smile - and had her eyes been their normal, fiery hue, they would have glimmered with surprise and hopeful excitement. But now she was curious to see her Father’s reaction to all of that. Had He understood Lina? Understood the meaning behind those words? Would He accept them or reject them?

She was still pondering the moment she had just witnessed and the words she had heard, when Lina continued. She confirmed that yes, the beast they had come to find was indeed strong. But she wasn’t worried about it, she was more worried about the Forest. She warned them both that it was a dangerous place - a place where one could become lost themselves, if they were not careful. The Forest was apparently alive, and able to toy with those that entered it - speaking to them in the voices of ancestors, dead masters, loved ones…even enemies once slain. She said that if they could ignore the whispers, the voices, then they could make it through just fine.

It sounded relatively…easy. Deceptively so…and that made the hairs on the back of Revna’s neck stand on end for a moment. This was the Nether; nothing here was easy. It sounded like they would have to go into the Forest to cross paths with this Kirazi - and no doubt it would prove to be a great challenge.

As if sensing Revna’s thoughts, Lina told her guests that travelling through it was easier with friends…or allies, depending on how one looked at it. If they could lean on one another, depend on each other for a helping hand or voice when the whispers of the Forest became too much, then they would be alright. Revna was not concerned about leaning on Lina or her Father for aid, for help. And she knew that Lina had no issues with that herself, either. But Revna wasn’t entirely sure if her Master could open up and trust both of them enough to see Him through the Forest and its tricks safely.

If He did, however, it would be a huge step…for all of them. Perhaps a step closer to something that Revna had secretly yearned for, since she lost her mother so many years ago. Something she didn’t dare voice aloud - not here, not now. Maybe…if the Force moved and aligned things just so…

She pushed those thoughts and heart yearnings aside for the moment, to focus on the rest of what Lina was telling them. Once through the challenge that was Forest of Memories - the goal was to subdue the creature, not kill it. Lina would need to overcome his will with her own, something Revna understood all too well.

Revna processed everything Lina had revealed to both her and Alisteri, analyzing and working through it within her mind. She glanced between Darth Strosius and Lina, before she stepped up beside the other woman and casually linked her arm with Lina’s. It was possible that this was the first time that her Father would see such a willing action to connect herself with the other Sith woman - a subtle but purposeful gesture that spoke volumes.

“If Lina is more concerned about the Forest than the creature that we will be crossing paths with…then I think taking her advice on really leaning on one another is vital and important. I trust both of you with my life. And I would do anything to ensure both of you are safe too. No way am I going to lose both of you in this damn place." She stared at her Father for a long moment, pondering a myriad of things before she spoke again. "Will You do that for us, Father? Trust us to see You through the Forest? Allow not just me but Lina too, to be a support for You, should You need it?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

There was the subtlest twitch of His whole form as Lady Ovmar moved in front of Him, correcting His remarks and naming the beast outright. Any trains of thought that He might have had however came to a swift halt the moment that she took His wrist. It was cold in her grasp, limp and easy to maneuver due to the rest of Darth Strosius freezing in shock. His golden gaze shot to where their hands connected as she lifted it up, fingers trembling as she uncurled them.

But the trembling passed in His hand only to be replaced by a full shiver of His body as her fingers ran along His own, His wings flaring out at the contact seemingly out of reflex. Darth Strosius didn't seem to notice them though, His full attention on whatever it was that was being done to His hand at the moment. Lady Ovmar's words had faded into a fairly pleasant hum in His ears right up until she spoke in a different tongue. Dhasias. The word cut through the haze in His mind and forced His gaze to snap back to her face rather than where their hands were connected.

His High Sith was somewhat rusty and ill-used, Common Sith was much more His style and more actively used by His followers, but He did still decipher what she was saying. Or well, He understood the words at least. What she meant eluded Him however. Dhasias, beautiful. And why was she looking at Him when she said it? What beauty did He hide? Why was she still touching His awful, clawed hands? Why did He keep hoping to find His answer somewhere in her obsidian eyes?

When she stepped back however, her hand slipping away from His, His fingers twitched and His arm shifted to follow for the briefest moment. Then a pause. Then His hand trembled again, quickly hidden by Him grabbing it with the other as He stepped back Himself and set His gaze firmly on the ground. Darth Strosius spent more than a few moments in that position, one hand clutching the other which had folded back into a fist while He glanced between it and the ground.

Thankfully He could hear what Lady Ovmar was saying in regards to the Forest of Memories, evidently an apt name, and He didn't at all care for it. He did more than enough trips through old faces of friend and foe alike in the scant few times of slumber that He had to endure, dealing with them during waking hours was far from ideal. Especially with an audience. Hopefully His daughter or Lady Ovmar herself would be the ones more effected by the Forest then, with Him able to focus entirely on steering them properly.

Darth Strosius could handle one forest of old faces, it was nothing that He hadn't faced before. Surely. Definitely. Whatever little trance He was in was seemingly broken by the movement of Revna, earning her a confused tilt of His head to regard her new position arm in arm with their guide. Did...did He have to do that? Of course He had no issue linking arms with His daughter but Lady Ovmar would surely have to be in the middle to lead them given her familiarity with the territory and He wasn't certain how He felt about that mental image. His hand twitched at the thought.

Revna's question made Him blink, gaze flickering between her and Lady Ovmar as He straightened Himself up slightly. "I..." A breath left Him as His gaze briefly trailed towards the Forest before snapping back to them. "I will be fine. This...Forest of Memories cannot sway me, I am sure of it." For a moment it seemed as though His declaration would be the end of it, stalwart and stubborn as ever, then His wing twitched and He spoke again. "I trusted you enough to follow you into this...realm with my dear daughter in tow. I will entrust you to...be a tether. Should I need it."

He cleared His throat and glanced away for a moment before looking back to Revna. "And of course I've walked through hell with you before Revna, have no fear I trust you completely to steer me true." Darth Strosius looked back to the Forest, wings twitching once more as His still grabbed hand clenched and unclenched. "Well, anything else before we set off after...the..." He squinted and did His best not to think for too long. What had Lady Ovmar said earlier? "...the beast...thing. Kisias or whatever his name was."

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina watched Strosius as Revna approached, the shadows at her feet splitting like water to allow the younger woman to reach her before collecting around the pair again, resting against Revna's legs as they had hers in a display of acceptance that Lina never expected from them. Had her will extended to them so much that they understood who was friend and foe now? Or perhaps it was the similarity between the pair? Lina couldn't know for sure. She squeezed Revna's arm a wave of gratitude and affection washing through her.

Revna pleaded her case earning a smile from Lina as she dared to take her gaze away to look at the younger woman and for a heartbeat wondered what treachery and pain would wait her at the end of all this. How would this all fall apart and leave her scarred once more? A blink and she banished the thoughts, the want to be happy, to live in the moment overwhelming the sense of foreboding.

Her focus shifted back to him, noting how he still clutched at the hand she had touched, how is normal sure demeanour seemed off kilter. She had caught him off guard, caught herself off guard. "Kirazi." she corrected him her voice soft. For a beat, she struggled to find words, needing to say something to break the tension but she had nothing and nothing stretched for too long in the silence.

"If it makes you feel better, I will likely be leaning on you more. Memories hold pain, and mine, as you know, are founded in it." She drew in a breath, slipping her arm from Revna's she placed a quick kiss at the woman's temple "Dazik j'us, ki ardira" she whispered before moving away, the creatures at her feet rising from where they had been sitting and moving with her. "The Warjis will lay the path," Her fingers wove as she spoke, forming a thick rope formed of shadow that she passed to one that began to run with it, others followed, taking a part of the rope as it grew. . "Keep a hand on the rope at all times. If the worst should happen, they will try to retrieve you, but they hate this place and even my will may not be able to overcome their own want to flee." While one hand continued to weave the other reached for the ground, bending it to her will forcing a pillar to rise from it before binding the shadow around it. "If we are separated, use this to find your way back to the portal."

Darth Strosius Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

To perhaps Revna and even Lina’s surprise…Darth Strosius didn’t flinch away from Lina’s touch. He didn’t even pull away or snarl in His typical fashion when it came to physical contact, especially contact that could be taken as affectionate. Instead…He froze in place and seemed to be utterly dazed by Lina’s boldness. He was so stupefied that He didn’t even utter a single word…just allowed her to take His clawed hand in hers. He seemed to almost melt, if only for the briefest of moments, until Lina’s words spoken in High Sith caught His attention and His visor snapped back to her face.

Revna didn’t dare to breathe or move, not immediately anyway. She was too stunned, pleasantly so, to witness the precious but way too short exchange that occurred between Lina and Alisteri. She felt the smile tug at her lips as His hand briefly trailed after Lina’s as she released Him, before a slight tremble in the limb urged Him to pull back and clutch it tightly as His gaze dropped to the ground, as if He suddenly found it difficult to look at Lina in the moment. It made her eyes narrow ever so slightly as she took her place beside Lina, linking her arm with the other woman’s: was He feeling shy about what had just happened?? Was it possible?!

Revna observed the shadows around Lina shifted to wrap around her feet and legs as well, as she stepped close to the older Sith woman, one of the little shadows leaning against her leg like some Loth-cat too. Some might have been disturbed by the sight, but to Revna it filled her with a brief sense of warmth. She felt Lina squeeze her arm in a gesture of deep appreciation and affection, even, and it only added to the warmth that trickled itself through the younger Vahla woman…before the chill of the Void siphoned it away.

The Lord of Wonosa was quiet for several heartbeats, still keeping His gaze on the ground - that was until Revna made her beseech of Him, and He finally lifted His head to gaze upon the two women. He started to speak, and Revna silently mused in awe that He certainly still seemed utterly flabbergasted about what had just happened.

Of course, the first words that came out of His mouth reminded Revna of just how stubborn her Father really was. She almost snapped at Him, called Him foolish for disregarding Lina’s warning and her plea…but she held her tongue and she was soon thankful that she had as to her utter surprise, and perhaps Lina’s as well - Darth Strosius relented and told Lina that He had trusted her enough to not only follow her into the Nether, but entrust His daughter to her as well.

To Revna’s remarks, He told her He had no fear. He trusted her completely, and that brought a smile to her face. Trust was so fragile amongst Sith; did He truly understand just how precious those words were to her, especially coming from Him?

Lina softly corrected Alisteri’s mispronunciation of the creature’s name, before a tense silence followed. Eventually, the older woman broke the silence, telling both Revna and Strosisus that it would more than likely be her that was leaning on the two of them for help. She slipped her arm free of Revna’s grasp and placed a quick kiss on the Disciple’s temple, whispering a phrase in Sith that made a blush creep across Revna’s pale cheeks. She blinked, her Void like eyes giving away nothing of what she felt in the moment…but internally she was feeling such a pleasant warmth, fighting against the chill. She wanted to grab and squeeze Lina in a hug and never let her go. It was such a powerful emotional response that it made her chest ache.

But they had a task to complete in the Nether, and she couldn’t lose her head to emotions and feelings. Not right now, anyway. But she certainly would be keeping her eye on them both, moving forward.

Lina stepped away and began to weave the shadows into a thick rope, telling both of her companions to keep a hand on the rope at all times. If the worst was to happen and someone became separated or stepped off the path, then her shadows would try to retrieve them but even then it wasn’t a guaranteed thing. So she set out to make another plan to fall back on, should the worst truly occur: a way back to the Portal, and thus out of the Nether.

Revna inhaled deeply, and subconsciously moved a bit closer to her Father. She didn’t want to be far from Him, from either of them, in this place. And, if what Lina had said was true, then both she and Darth Strosius would need to work together to save Lina from the pain of her memories.

But she had to wonder…could He do it? Would He do it? Become a lifeline for someone He once called an enemy, whose wedding He had crashed? Only time would tell for certain, and she was curious to see. Though she dearly hoped it wouldn’t occur, she had to none the less prepare herself for what may come.

“Well…I am ready to move forward and get this show on the road, if the two of you are ready?”

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Kirazi, yes that was it." Darth Strosius wasn't certain how he could have forgotten such a simple thing so quickly and yet it had gotten rather muddled in His mind. Getting words mixed and mashed together was very unusual indeed, perhaps this realm was affecting His mind as well as His outward form? If so that could account for Lady Ovmar's unexpected behavior as well, although Revna had yet to exhibit any such odd activity thus far. The brief silence between the three of them did little to reassure any of His idle wonderings.

When Lady Ovmar finally broke it with a remark that she herself may be the one at the most risk of wandering off the path in the Forest, a simple nod served as His own response. She certainly had some rather...less than ideal experiences in her life, but so had Himself and His daughter as well. And all of them had some recent incidents at that. This trip didn't bode well at all, but Darth Strosius wasn't going to bring up any concerns now. Not when they were already this far into their hunt, already overlooking their prey's area of activity.

The peck that Lady Ovmar gave to His daughter made Him cock His head to the side in what must have been confusion. Perhaps she was simply more inclined towards physical displays? That would explain her...unexpected touch earlier, although not the remark that had accompanied it. Thankfully He was stirred from His musings by the sight of the little creatures being put to work with some summoned rope, evidently a guiding line in case the Forest managed to divide them along the way. A small comfort but one that He silently appreciated.

"Yes, let us not dally any longer." Darth Strosius stepped closer to Revna before nodding towards their guide and gesturing at the Forest before them. "Lead the way Lady Ovmar, we will be right at your back all the while." Yet even as He spoke He rested a hand on His daughter's shoulder, just insistent enough to keep her still as He subtly leaned a slight bit closer to whisper in her ear. "Revna, my High Sith is a bit out of practice and this realm is confusing my mind, what was it that Lady Ovmar said to me earlier?"

Lina Ovmar / Revna Marr

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina drew a sharp intake of breath at the surge of warm emotion from Revna at her whispered words, her weaving fumbling as she looked back at her. She could not stop the smile that spread as she turned to focus on her work a feeling of contentedness settling over her. considering where they were and what they were about to do, Lina came to the realisation that there was no one else she would rather be doing this with.

With the rope set, running taught and still Lina moved with the to the forests edge at their confirmation, her gaze lifting to the towering trees above, their white bark peeling in places to reveal blood red flesh beneath. A breeze rushed through, icy cold and carrying unintelligible whispers that made her hair stand on end. Lina glanced back to see Strosius whisper in Revna's ear and the sharp needle of doubt struck through her.

She turned away a frown forming on her face. When had she become so paranoid? A beat and a slow breath and she pushed it all away, filing her emotions neatly into boxes and clearing her head. Now was not the time, here was not the place. They had a beast to tame, she had a curse to build. Everything she had planned hinged on this. She rested her hand on the rope. "Dirtsarias ao tutzara" she whispered to herself and around them the shadows responded rising like an honour guard to flank them, echoing her sentiment.

With a final glance back and a small nod, Lina wordlessly stepped into the Forest, her fingers running along the rope as she lead them into whatever awaited them.

Darth Strosius Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Lina Ovmar // Darth Strosius ​

Darth Strosius was quick to agree with Revna, voicing His desire to move forward with their plans. He stepped closer to Revna, gesturing towards the Forest and bid Lina to lead the way…that He and His Disciple would be right behind her. However, His hand came up to rest on Revna’s shoulder, adding just enough resistance to indicate to her that He wanted her to wait for a moment. Curiously, she turned her head slightly towards Him as He leaned closer to whisper into her ear: "Revna, my High Sith is a bit out of practice and this realm is confusing my mind, what was it that Lady Ovmar said to me earlier?"

For a moment, all Revna could do was stare at her Father in silence. Was…was He actually asking her for help in understanding what had just happened between Him and Lina?! Was she going to get the opportunity to reveal the truth, in a way that He could understand? She gave Him a half smile, and though her eyes were still Void-black, the fine wrinkles that appeared with her smile would indicate her happiness at the chance to unveil this mystery to Him.

“...she called You beautiful, and said that hiding such beauty is a crime…” She stated bluntly in a soft voice, her gaze upon His face as the words settled. “And I agree with her.” She didn’t hesitate to bridge the space between her and the Sith Lord, slipping her arm around His to link them so she could have a rather interesting, if brief, heart to heart with Him on the matter before they all went into the Forest. It was a risk, unveiling the truth…or at least speaking her thoughts on the topic. Either it would distract Him, or, it would help Him to further help Lina…should things become perilous. Slowly, they began their march forward, Revna keeping one arm linked with her Father while the other held into the shadowy rope.

“Lina…noticed You trying to hide something that You find unattractive - but where You see something detestable, she sees something beautiful. She sees You for who You are, Father, and I feel she’s drawn to You…not just here in the Nether, where Your form is revealed in all its splendor…but in the realm of the living too.”

She fell silent for a few steps to allow her words to sink in, following along behind Lina as they approached closer and closer to the bone white trees. Despite the fact that Revna was deep in thought having this conversation with her Father, she remained alert to her surroundings.

“And…I will be so bold as to say that I think Your heart recognizes that something is there between the two of you…because You didn’t push her away when she stepped into Your space and held Your hand in her own. You allowed her touch, and more than that…when she released You, You tried to follow her and stopped Yourself.”

She turned her head at that point to look up at Him, and speak her mind further on the matter. “I am a lot more observant and intuitive than most would see or believe. I see things and I understand them better than most. What I saw a few minutes ago…was a man and woman looking at each other…a woman who finds a man attractive, and a man who is too afraid to see the truth in her eyes but whose heart yearns for connection. I challenge You to search Your heart on the matter, ask Yourself why You didn’t pull away from her…why You stared back into her eyes, and why You chased after her hand when she let You go. Don’t push her away because of any lingering fears or pain that You have…even if and when she lashes out because she’s been hurt by others. That is the worst thing a man can do to a woman who reveals her vulnerability to him, and only wants to find safety in his shadow. Think about it, seriously."

And with that, Revna slipped her arm free of Alisteri's and stepped in front of Him, closing the distance between herself and Lina using the shadow rope to draw her closer to the other woman as they entered the edge of the Forest itself, guided by shadowy beings that had arisen to be their guardians. Revna followed Lina, giving her a smile when the other woman glanced back at her two companions, and forced her mind to focus on the task at hand.

Already she was beginning to hear whispers at the edges of her awareness, voices that she knew, or thought she did. For now, she ignored them and kept her eyes on Lina.

-We are right behind you, Lina. If you need us, don't hesitate to reach out for help-