Private The Pilgrims #6: Unwholesome Pursuits

[Ostanes]

Korriban held a special place for Ostanes. He had started his career here. Before the merger and his possession. Before Seydon and their friendship. After Rave had destroyed his mind and he was rebuilding from the very foundations of his knowledge, scarcely remembering his own name. Ashin Cardé Varanin was a name his circles knew and revered. He respected her for her grit and determination she displayed, and a singular clarity of purpose when on a mission. Ostanes himself was much the same, though his mission was usually less varied of cause.

Tendrils suddenly tore at his mind, but he was almost used to this. Fighting off the one he had imprisoned in his walking staff, Ostanes merely sat cross legged in the fine white wool suit he had one, laying his staff across his lap, before ceasing fighting the claim. It looked effortless on the exterior, but it took all he had to not panic at the strength of the pull.

His essence remained coiled, a red pulse of haughty and cold lethality. This was a dance he was used to, even if wearied by. So he waited to see what was next.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Kal

Enyo scrutinised this Kal of Masque. Curious. What might it be? He was no Sith, that was certain. "Sith do many things that are unwise and illogical, as do organics in general," she commented. "It would be sensible to stay close, and not give in to this entity's siren song."

Not that Enyo wanted anyone near or really cared about what happened to them, but it provided good observational data for her to work from. However, the landscape before their eyes seemed to shift. Or maybe it was just their perception of it. Perception was a malleable thing, and this was the domain of a plant hive-mind.

When the darkness slightly receded, they would find themselves inside a maze. Or rather what a maze would look if the foliage had been allowed to totally grow out of control. It was eeriely silent. The Cyborg frowned. "We just follow the left hand wall forever to find the exit?" A multitude of tendrils sought to seize, rip and tear at their minds as well as their bodies.

 

[Venn Kolis]

Journey of the Spark​

The change had been so immediate, Venn was nearly sick. One moment, the harsh desert sun burned overhead, and the next? A choking darkness engulfed him. It was as if Korriban's star had been extinguished in an instant. Snuffed out. From standing with warm sand under his boots, to lying on his back, knotted roots shifting uncomfortably under him.

Venn stood on shaky feet just in time to watch a mousey young woman be completely consumed by the tangle of roots. Horrifying, though the others didn't seem to pay it any mind. Certainly not Ravenous, who strode casually to rejoin the main group and suggest a course of action. Surrounded on all sides by grasping tendrils, climbing seemed like a marvelous idea. Ashin Cardé Varanin 's advice also likely wouldn't be anything but helpful in this sudden turn. Enyo and.... Kalzac? Dalzac?- were both seemingly unconcerned, engaging in quiet conversation a little ways from the group.

As he drew breath to second Ravenous' plan, Venn heard a voice surprisingly close at hand.

"This is unfortunate."

Looking down, the young man jumped a little at the realization that the kel dor from earlier was ensnared practically under his feet. "Darth Vex! Hey, a little help?"

Calling to the rest of the group at large, Venn crouched to look for a tendril he could attempt to loosen, quickly realizing that his bare hands would be of little use. In the back of his mind, he could hear his own cynical voice hissing "Selflessness is suicide," but he quickly shook his head. True, living for others was essentially killing yourself, but Venn's master had shown him that true Sith helped themselves by helping their fellow Sith.

Then again, Vex seemed very calm in his current situation. Remembering the way the girl from earlier had disappeared without a fight, Venn realized that within a vision, physical danger wasn't physical at all. Perhaps Darth Vex was attempting to learn from the Drengir by surrendering?

Allowing his rage to swell in his chest, a flash of sulfur ignited in Venn's green eyes. His left hand burst into flames, immediately charring his skin black in a familiar sensation. Wincing a little at the pain, he looked down at the trapped apprentice. "Do you like those things digging into your flesh? Otherwise, I can try to burn you out."

RIP Avalore
Gnost Zym you good bro?

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

For better or for worse, when Ashin lost control of a situation, cold fury was the heart of her response. She wrapped the dark side around herself just as she would have done in the physical plane, became immovable. That would keep her from learning, she feared, but she needed to get her balance, her bearings, and a grip on her heart. She looked around for Spencer and, to a lesser degree, Avalore.

Roots touched Ashin, recoiled, then latched on when they sensed the extent of her resistance. Maybe they found her tasty. The Force-shielding she'd wrapped around her soulform kept those roots a millimeter from contact. They gripped the hard shell of her protection with implacable strength. Unstoppable force, immovable object.

In short order, Ashin was well and truly stuck at the heart of a gigantic, writhing knot of roots. Alive, conscious, but not going anywhere.

Gnost Zym
Spencer Varanin
Donne Toulemonde
Kal
Ravenous
Venn Kolis
Azlyn Ike
Ostanes
Detritus Ren
Erion Justeene
Enyo Typhos
Spek Zhio

 

[Azlyn Ike]

She was lost in her own mind.. focusing on it and trying to maintain herself.... it wasn't like a predator toying with one... there was just the need for meat. She understood that hunger.. the wanting something that could never satisfy you... she had wanted it all of her life but she had a grin on her face when she stood there in the center of the roots and it was more inky shadows in the roots as she could see the throns and made herself smaller with one hand going to her belt.. the saber was beneficial in some ways to center and focus her mind. She looked around more and knew there were others... connected and her hands came up pulling her hair back itno a tight ponytail to keep it out fo the way... Her eyes focusing and looking around as she wrapped herself int a slurry of emotions that were good for screwing with other zeltrons and force users... hard to read someone when you are mirrror and going with several peoples emotional range arather then your own. "Alright... lets see if we can find anyone... or maybe be there when they fall."

 

[Kal]

Her assessment of organics was harsh, but then so was his at times. That said, she seemed cooler even than him.

Were it not for her Force presence he might even have confused her for a droid, of all things. Imagine that.

Before he could consider the prospect further, the pair found themselves elsewhere. A great maze formed from the same roots that made up everything else in this strange place. <Sound advice. A good starting point...> Gliding sideways, the Shadow evaded a particularly eager root's grasp. <... but it is entirely possible that the maze will shift around us.>

Goodness knew his kind was fond of that trick - who knew how many lost souls had found themselves sealed away within the ever-shifting mazework that protected their home. It would be ironic if he found himself similarly preoccupied.

Enyo Typhos​

 

[Ravenous]

Seeing as half the group was now sinking underground as fertilizer for this strange dimension, Ravenous now had two options before him: Stay and help the rest of his team or go off on his own like he always does...well I think we all know where this is going. Heavy and cold as ice Venn Kolis would find a metal hand gripping his shoulder the figure it belonged to shaking his head at his attempts to liberate the Darth being eaten by the soil. Maybe Vex and the girl were onto something here, something Ravenous wasn't brave or foolish enough to try.

"Best to leave them be. They may find something more valuable down there than we will up here...and if they turn into fertilizer then we will have gained that knowledge as well. By robbing them of this you would be robbing yourself as well." He let his hand drop back inside his cloak his golden pupils darting toward the top of this...monstrosity. "As I said, I don't expect to find anything down here and Ashin...seems to be occupied at the moment. So I'm going to start climbing. See what I find...in this strange place."

Like always the armored fellow was off again his dark silhouette ascending the root-infested realm with surprising agility. He wouldn't go too far because like he said the answer to their questions may be under the roots rather than above them but it didn't hurt to double-check.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Kal

"Very possible," Enyo conceded. It was vexing. She was no expert in mind games and illusions. She preferred more straightforward solutions. Perhaps the Shadow could trace the shifts somehow, though that might require touching the Root-Mind. Roots were coming for them. Enyo dodged the aggressive grasp of one, and stomped on another. So she walked on, even as tendrils tried to slash at her mind. So she followed the left hand wall, never once changing direction. For just a moment, an exit seemed to loom ahead of them. That alone made her sceptical.

And then, of course, the landscape shifted. Darkness came and went, and they were back to where they had started. Enyo's robotic eyes flashed. She felt annoyed. Looking around, she beheld the overgrown maze, greenery everywhere. Roots were already creeping towards them. But her focus was not on them.

"You make this maze in my mind," she remarked calmly. "But I have control of my mind. You can make a maze, and I can break it." It took will, but she manifested a metaphysical lightsabre in her grasp. Then she started carving through walls.

 

[Gnost Zym]

"Do you like those things digging into your flesh? Otherwise, I can try to burn you out."

"Oh, hello there," Gnost tilted his head at the human, "Your assistance would be...welcome."

He closed his eyes and relished the exquisite agony of stray flames licking over vine entangled skin. Some of the roots reacted violently but enough withered and loosened their grip. One hand now freed the kel dor summoned his lightwhip with the Force. Crimson energy sizzled through more vines in several lazy arcs. Through victory, his chains were broken.

"A dream itself is but a shadow..."

Zym examined one of the dying roots in apparent curiosity before slowly crushing it in his palm. This place felt almost like a vision yet the dangers seemed real enough. He finally seemed to notice the human.

"Venn, was it?" he still seemed very calm, "You could have let me perish. I will not forget."

Somehow the Sith apprentice made it sound almost like a threat.

 

[Venn Kolis]

Journey of the Spark​

The words of Ravenous were not without merit, and along with the armored weight, Venn could feel an unbelievable presence emanating from the hand on his shoulder. What little Force-sensitivity the boy had was alight and screaming. This was someone who dwelled in an entirely different dimension of strength- they might as well have existed in separate galaxies. Venn had only felt that overwhelming power once before. It hadn't scared him enough then. It did now.

Despite the Dark Jedi's counsel, however, it seemed his new acquaintance was open to an assist. As soon as the flames had done enough damage to free Vex's arm and weapon, Venn withdrew his hand and willed the fire to die. It took a bit longer than the slave might've liked, but after a brief moment, his hand was cold again, blackened by soot up to the elbow.

"Venn, was it?" he still seemed very calm, "You could have let me perish. I will not forget."

Venn chuckled in acknowledgement at the words of the apprentice. Sitting, he caught his breath a moment, and held up a placating hand, to indicate his laughter was not meant to mock the kel dor. "Just my policy; the Jedi, the Enclave, the NIO and Eternals, the Crusade and much of the Confederacy actively hunt my religion and my people, dreaming of our extinction. Until that day comes when my enemies do not prowl at every turn like Maalraas, it would be foolishness to leave a fellow darksider to face danger alone."

Seated on a still root, Venn looked at his blackened hand and began to muse out-loud to himself. "If this is all a vision in the Force, what exactly are my flames, then? Or your lightwhip? Not a physical fire, or a real weapon. Does it all exist in the mind? In the Force? Do they represent our mental power? Perhaps strength of will?"

The young man clumsily folded his legs. He tried to remember what he'd been taught about focus through meditation, and began to ask himself questions.

Who brought us here? Not Ashin. She was caught off guard. It was the Drengir. They did this. His left hand, horridly burned, was throbbing like mad. No! Not the pain. The problem. He had to focus. If it brought us here, then it wants us to be here. It gave us a tree to climb, and grabbed a few of us to pull under. If its trying to keep us from our goal, then it makes sense to go up. But if it built everything we see.... and it pulled us here.... then its CHASING us up- HERDING us, and whatever its hiding-

Yellow fire fled from Venn's eyes the moment he opened them. "Down. The further down you go, the more control it wants over you. We have to find a way down through the root tangle on our own terms, not tied up like a parcel. It- They, want us to climb, and maybe the Drengir really does have some sort of 'fruit' up at the top for us. I don't know. I do know this thing doesn't want me wandering around downstairs. So that's where I'm headed."

Gnost Zym Ashin Cardé Varanin Kal Darth Empyrean

 

[Spek Zhio]

Spek looked around. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, or interacting in small groups. He was the odd one out. Which was to be expected.

Better that way, lest they discover he had not been invited by anyone else, other than serendipity.

The Zeltron looked up. Was that... an inverted pyramid? No. An upside-down ziggurat. High, sitting on the Drengir's canopy.

Was he the only one seeing that? He glanced around once again. Sure seemed like it.

Still, more importantly, was that his doing? Someone else's doing? Or, the tree's doing? Could it be Korriban?

All of the above? None of the above?

The desert wind breached through the intertwining maze of living vegetation, to caress his face. It carried the scent of ozone, sage, and neglect.

He stared at the soaring ziggurat. It felt, familiar. It felt, nostalgic. Spek imagined that this must have been what being home felt like. Something he never had, so it was a conjecture on his part.

Zhio approached the bizarre and colossal trunk of the Drengir. He extended his right hand to it, anew. Only, this time, he first surround himself with a Force Barrier. Surprised that it worked on this chimeric world, he found himself more surprised with what happened next.

The vines stuck to the spherical shape of the Barrier, slowly gnawing at it with baring teeth. Not fighting against it, but feeding on it instead. Zhio was drawing from the Dark. That immense pool, was it his alone, someone else's, or the collective's? Again and again, the same questions assailed his mind.

The former Padawan thought of something. He adjusted the shape of his Force Barrier, molding the lower half of it into a series of ascending steps. He did not know he could do that. Apparently, here, he could.

The boughs, still surrounding the barrier, also rearranged themselves beneath his feet, giving shape to an impromptu flight of stairs. One that was continuously being formed ahead of him, and dismantling itself behind his steps, as he steadily walked around the perimeter of the trunk, climbing towards the top.

 

[Kal]

He had expected spatial anomalies, but the form they took was rough. Primitive, even.

Was it a reflection of a certain simplemindedness from the hive mind, or did it simply not consider them worth the added effort of a more insidious entrapment? Either way, it told him something about how the entity operated.

When Enyo began hacking through the mazework Kal followed close behind, though he did not aid her directly. Raw power had never been his speciality. Instead, he focused on studying their surroundings - and subtly interfering with the cohesion of the resistance, tricking roots into hitting each other or slowing their response time.

Even with both of them working together, however, the thicket quickly grew thicker and thicker, more and more roots converging to block their path and seal of the one she had carved into it.

<It seems the roots may be antagonised. I will attempt to redirect its attention if you can keep us safe.>

Without further ado, he reached out towards it more directly, attempting to glean and influence its motivations without establishing a true link. Risky business, but a necessity under the circumstances. Perhaps he could convince it to concentrate on some of the others, or better yet leave them all alone.

Even a partial success might allow his companion to break through.

Enyo Typhos​

 

[Gnost Zym]

"An alliance of convenience then," Zym agreed.

His deactivated lightwhip vanished beneath the kel dor's simple black cloak. When Gnost reached out with the Force he could only sense a great and terrible darkness. He recoiled at the alien nature of it for the root mind was driven by a hunger none but the drengir understood. If this failure to connect with any others frustrated the Sith he showed no outward sign.

Seated on a still root, Venn looked at his blackened hand and began to muse out-loud to himself. "If this is all a vision in the Force, what exactly are my flames, then? Or your lightwhip? Not a physical fire, or a real weapon. Does it all exist in the mind? In the Force? Do they represent our mental power? Perhaps strength of will?"

"This place is more than a vision. Its alive. Take no chances. Daggers of the mind cut just as deep."

While the human explained his plan Zym's head slowly tilted down to gaze at foreboding tangles below. His expression remained impossible to read yet he seemed to be considering something. Then he turned back to Venn Kolis .

"If you don't know where you are going any road can take you there," the Sith apprentice said, "Unless this is all a test we should attempt to locate the one called Varanin. She might know a way out of this fascinating nightmare."

Despite the hazards real or imagined Gnost began to climb, searching for some kind of viable way down.

 

[Ravenous]

¨This climb is starting to look a bit infinite.” No matter how far or how high Ravenous climbed toward the canopy above the Dark Jedi found no signs of closing in on the treetops or the light that very selectively shone through its leaves. He squinted against the blinding light but couldn't find its source or how far away it seemed.

The ground from which Ravenous started was far below him now, he had forgotten not to climb too high and now the armored warrior feared he would not find his way back to the others who had surely moved on by now. He did not fear being alone, he wasn't that weak of a person but he did fear what his companions might make of his body should they find their way back to reality before he did.

A growth of vines wrapped around his leg before being shrugged away with a simple motion, the greyed mass of timber wilting toward the ground with the foul stench of decay.

It seemed his ability to take life had not been handicapped here and the dark empty void into which the force fell had not been sealed…makes sense. If it was the force that brought him here and the Drengir that manipulated it then the wood had no power over how he used said abilities to benefit himself in turn.

Holding the wood and taking in its power had brought the pilgrims here so perhaps if he were to cut that connection he could free himself from this murderous amazon. Ravenous dug his hand inside the trunk he had been ascending for the past 15 minutes, his metal fingers creating a small handhold while his other went for the Drengir clipped to his belt. The Force is strong but his hunger is its omega.

The Dark Lord's hand hovered over the wood when a whipping sound in the canopy caught his attention, clumps of leaves and branches falling wherever the slithering went. ¨Don't much fancy the void do you?¨ Swiping the wood and his blade hilt in a quick motion the Amethyst blade exploded to life as the whipping turned into whistling and the whistling turned into wooden spears darting at him as a bird does its unsuspecting prey.

¨Well maybe you will enjoy this a bit more hm?¨ Three flashes of light and three spears were gone, the ones soaring behind them missing Ravenous as he swung himself into the air and away from the handhold that now began to shudder under his shifting weight.

A vine reaching down nearly out of sight stuck itself out in the middle of the huge chasm, its purple thorny life the only thing saving him from plummeting to the jungle floor as Ravenous reached out for it begging the plant to be his aid and…it moved…the vine…curled up…and slithered up the tree before he could grab it…

¨Karabast! I hate mystical forests! THEY ARE ALWAYS EVIL!!¨ An egg dropped from its nest, Ravenous plummeted toward the jungle ground, his metal armor the only thing shielding him from being torn asunder by the branches he smashed into on the way down.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Kal

She brutally hacked her way through the mazework, wielding her lightsabre like a machete. However, the thicket grew ever thicker with each passing moment. It took effort to carve through them or tear them out, and manifold roots converged to block any opening. However, Kal came to her aid, apparently reaching out mentally. That was fine with Enyo. The Terminatrix let him do so. He was clearly better attuned to mental manipulation than she was.

She paused her offensive and reached out with the Force, trying to sense a way out while she ran a mechanical hand across the mazework. Homing in on a weak spot while the roots were unfocused. And then launched a massive blow, tearing a hole through the wall.

"Let's go." Quickly, she dashed through the opening. Belatedly, the Root-Mind focused its attention on her. Roots converged upon her from multiple sides, stabbing and grabbing her, while mental tendrils were brutally hurled at her mind like javelins. For the first time, she felt actual pain, as her mind was assaulted. Like sharp objects being driven through her brain.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

She'd come here before, she'd prepared herself to slash at the roots with her mind's eye, with her lightsaber in some spiritual/imaginary/half-real way. She'd more or less known what she was getting into. None of that prevented the roots from getting a brutal grip and holding on like a Hutt at a buffet. The Root-Mind had been waiting for her, she realized: all of them were food, but she'd escaped it a couple of times and the collective Drengir unconscious had a taste for her. No matter how she twisted and lashed out, more and more roots grabbed hold.

She lost track of time, or rather time had a more subjective way of passing here. Hours had gone by in the corporeal world, maybe even days. For once she found herself glad that Korriban had seen so much devastation. Back in her day, unconscious bodies would have been summarily eaten by a passing pack of tuk'ata or something.

Gnost Zym
Spencer Varanin
Donne Toulemonde
Kal
Ravenous
Venn Kolis
Azlyn Ike
Ostanes
Detritus Ren
Erion Justeene
Enyo Typhos
Spek Zhio

 

[Azlyn Ike]

The mind of these things was deep and tricky to get through everythign she did felt heavy... like wading through syrup or well since they were plants she guessed it would be more akin to sap.... sap was just as annoying as she wanted to just pull out the blade and slice into everything but mentally that would do very little and the others were... if they were stuck in a hive mind then attacking could harm them... not exactly a problem but if it was like some hive minds where you needed to be able to resist joining then the more of them able to resist the better and only sacrificing them as a last resort. She focused and cooled her anger and frustractions to stay alertt as the roots rustled around her but nothing was coming yet... she was just moving as the sensation of the darkside screamed coldness and hunger to her... they wanted meat.

 

[Ostanes]

A pulsing, utterly disinterested form was the basis of Ostanes survival. When an apex predator came sniffing, you had two options. You played dead, or you bristled and made it think that the hunt was easier elsewhere. The more natural the former, or less dramatic the latter, the more often you were alive to roll the dice again. For now the once business mogul and eccentric sorcerer sat in the midst of a mindscape that was quite safe. Obedead only faintly brought to the surface. Like blood in the water, the specter of the Eldritch being was summoned and his very presence seemed to keep the roots at bay, a sphere of safety surrounding him as he hummed and meditated, his mind adrift, checking on others.

For him, this was just another... Wait, what day was it in here anyway?

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Kal]

His efforts were met with success. Partial success. He was barely noticeable...

... but the same could not be said for the warrior hacking her way through the maze.

Her actions freed them from its trap, but it also brought down the full fury of at least part of the mind. He could have run off, leaving her behind, but he was not inclined to be so utterly ungrateful - that said, there was no way in hell he would attempt to get between her and the mental and 'physical' blows that rained down towards her.

She had already proven herself far more adept than him at excertions brute force.

<You need to try to blend in. Ceasing your resistance would be folly, but the more alien you are to its inner workings, the more you will stick out.> The implication was clear, of course - the more she stuck out the tastier she seemed.

Enyo Typhos​

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Kal

She had been a prisoner in her own body once. Her mind locked away, incapable of action. A puppet on strings pulled by her mechanical makers. Unable to do anything as her body obeyed their commands, and even her thoughts were subjugated.

But she had broken her chains, as the Sith were wont to say. Unlike the average Sith, she had not become a slave to base emotion though. The Root-Mind sought to trap her inside this mirage of a forest while it feasted on her.

The mental assault battered her, slicing through her mind. That was agony. She endured. Enyo could, unfortunately, not counter the Root-Mind in the mental sphere. Her mental abilities were even weaker than those of her mirrror. But the roots were part of its components, like nodes. It made her wonder whether destroying them could cause the hive-mind pain. Not enough to get it to back off though. Or could, conversely, the connection to its nodes be disrupted? Such thoughts remained academic. Roots managed to seize her with tremendous strength. Still, she cut and tore with equally implacable will. The hive battered her with every step she took as she forced her way into the opening. She endured. But she was not progressing in a meaningful way.

She had the Root-Mind's attention now, and Enyo was a logical person. It would keep pursuing. Trying to batter through its endless legions of roots was a Pyrrhic victory at best. The spirit entity or whatever it was suddenly addressed her as she crushed a root. "I have a metal endoskeleton. It won't find it appetising," she said blandly. "What do you suggest?"