Dev The Raising of a Champion

[Madrona A’Mia]

Outer Rim Territories
Brosi
Tags: Darth Strosius | Revna Marr
​

Wherever they’d been, whatever time it was when they’d received the message, it was clear that A’Mia sent it in a manic state. The summons was strange and disjointed, the only thing clear about it was urgency.

Come. You must see. We must test it. Come now.
​

A’Mia had been hyper fixated on the development of a new kind of sorcery ever since locating an ancient relic with the Prophet of Wonosa. She’d also been working closely with Revna regarding a more personal and secretive project that involved the man. Perhaps that was why they both received the strange call to join her.

When they arrived on Brosi, the newly lush planet rife with dangerous flora and fauna, they were ushered by a few wide eyed lab assistants to thickly forested location. The speeder ride there was tense and A’Mia’s staff refused to answer most questions, other than that their mistress would only accept their company.

Upon arrival at the remote destination, they were led deeper still into the jungle on foot. The path eventually opened up to a strange stone construction. The stones themselves looked worn and weathered but all signs pointed toward the surrounding area to be newly carved into for the placement of this construction.

A’Mia stood, swaying and disheveled, somewhat hunched over the waters of a small well like structure. The neti whirled upon them as they entered the space, eyes wide and visage ecstatic, her simple robes were torn and stained in places. It was clear she hadn’t rested in a while.

”Finally, good good. You are here to see this out with me— the test, our first trial of this new device.”

Nearby, a few wretched humanoid figures cowered in a cage.

 

[Revna Marr]

Tags:
Madrona A’Mia // Darth Strosius ​

There were very few summons that Revna would ignore - a rather pressing one from the Lord Seer of Korriban was not one of them. She had been travelling from one location to another when the message came through from A’Mia, and so she simply re-routed her coordinates for Brosi and then waited for the jump to be complete.

When she arrived on the formerly war torn planet, she saw that she was not the only one to have received the summons. Her Master had as well, and she greeted Darth Strosius with a rather business-like dip of her chin. Soon afterwards, her eyes roamed the lush jungle environment that had sprung up from the ritual workings that she had been a part of some time prior, when the Imperials had sought to take Brosi from the Sith.

Lady A’Mia had since taken over the planet, in the name of the Sith and the Kingdom of Korriban - and she had outdone herself in transforming the disease ridden planetscape into something that could be useful for the Sith Order. Revna also knew that her own apprentice and cousin, Lysander, was involved in Brosi with Spore Industries - an endeavor she had given full freedom and reign on to come and go and do whatever he thought best, and saw fit to do. She was not one to hold her apprentices back; some might argue that the freedoms she gave them only opened the door to betrayal - but didn’t want to stifle their growth and their potential.

Upon arriving on Brosi, both Revna and her Father were escorted through the dangerous and dense undergrowth by servants of the Governor of Brosi via speeders. Probing questions were not answered, and so Revna kept her questions to herself until she could see A’Mia face to face. When they arrived at the location, they continued their journey on foot - Revna’s robes whispering along the ground as she felt the touch of familiarity from Brosi.

It remembered her. And the gift she had given that fateful day, alongside Darth Caedes and Srina Talon.

The pathway eventually led the pair of Sith to a strange stone construction, and there in the midst of it all was the Neti, A’Mia. Revna could tell instantly that the Neti hadn’t rested or slept in some time; she was disheveled, hunched, and almost maniac in appearance - her robes torn and frayed and smudged, her eyes wide and almost wild.

Revna cast a brief glance at her Father, before she turned her attention back to A’Mia and what surrounded her - including the cages that held humanoid figures that she assumed were there for some sort of ritual sacrifice. She’d seen something similar too in her own healing ritual that the Neti and Revna had undergone some time ago.

"Finally, good good. You are here to see this out with me— the test, our first trial of this new device."

Revna slipped her arms inside the sleeves of her robe and dipped her chin towards the Neti.

“Yes, we have come. I can't ignore a summons from my favorite Neti.” Revna said with a gentle smile, before she looked around at the stone structure and the caved individuals. "...how can we be of assistance, A'Mia?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius had never been a believer in conveniences, and rarely in the concept of luck at all. Miracles and happenstances occurred of course but these were products of the Force's subtle will, not some contrivance of circumstance alone. As such when the masked man had marched back to His quarters aboard the Harbinger just in time to feel a pulsing call from the only floral adornment of the room, He was somewhat suspicious of its potential surveillance capabilities.

Suspicions aside however, this particular summons was unusual for A'Mia given its strange tone and clipped message. The questions that arose from it however were lanced by the notion of having an excuse to abandon His current frustrations and an undercurrent of genuine concern that He didn't bother dwelling on. Making haste to Brosi was a rather simple affair, one made all the easier when He saw His daughter had arrived just ahead of Him and thus causing a new bit of pep to accompany His steps.

The speeder ride was perhaps the most dull part considering the rather tight-lipped assistants which were guiding them towards wherever it was that A'Mia intended to meet them but at least the scenery was pleasant. He still didn't care much for the sight of such lush and expansive greenery itself but its rapid conception and spread over the world's surface was admirable enough. Although that admiration did lose a bit of its luster when He had to walk through the brush and jungle.

Thankfully the foliage and flora did eventually give way to a much more...interesting sight nestled amongst the trees. The stone structure itself appeared old as though it had been settled into its surroundings for some time but the disturbance of the area itself around it suggested a far more recent placement. How very unusual indeed. The Neti herself was in a state that He'd never seen before, disheveled in appearance and all but manic in her mannerisms.

The glance that Revna sent His way wasn't returned, His hidden gaze stiff and locked onto A'Mia as one of His hands idly twitched and moved to reach out before quickly being drawn back to His side when she spoke. His daughter was far quicker to respond than the masked man Himself, still seeming to be silently debating something as His now clenched fingers idly pressed against the base of His mask. "Are...are you certain that you wouldn't prefer a brief respite to go over your progress thus far first? Perhaps over some tea?"

Madrona A’Mia / Revna Marr

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Darth Strosius | Revna Marr​

Her almost drunken sway over the altar ceased as A'Mia's companions spoke. Was she not so stricken by the fervor of scientific breakthrough, the neti might have been intrigued by the signs of concern Alisteri did his best to stow away.

“Yes, we have come. I can't ignore a summons from my favorite Neti.” Revna said with a gentle smile, before she looked around at the stone structure and the caved individuals. "...how can we be of assistance, A'Mia?"

"Assistance? Yes! Yes… this is why I needed you. Who better to help me test the mechanism?"

"Are...are you certain that you wouldn't prefer a brief respite to go over your progress thus far first? Perhaps over some tea?"

A'Mia closed the distance between them suddenly, in an alarming burst of speed. When she was bipedal and more focused on social interaction, it was easy to forget the woman was in fact more akin to a force of nature than anything truly humanoid.

"Respite? No, no… Not this close to the end."

With surprising gentleness given her current state, the neti reached out to usher them both to the edge of the water, to stand along one rounded side of the stone altar. She patted Revna's cheek gently, so the woman might feel the scuffed red-brown skin of her hand that had yet to heal. As if A'Mia had been lifting and carving stones for hours. Then the woman gave Alisteri's arm a quick squeeze before she was away again.

The cowering prisoners yelped and pressed themselves to the back of the cage as she suddenly set upon them. A'Mia was deceivingly strong and showed absolutely no mercy as she pulled two struggling men from the cage.

So set on what she was doing and manic with the promise of success, A'Mia forgot to close the cage behind her. Dragging the two with her back to the altar's edge, the neti displayed once more the cold aggression she was capable of. Speaking in an instructive tone even as choking vines grew from her shoulders to ensnare the struggling soon to be sacrificed, silencing them in the same stroke as she held them still for what was to come.

"The altar will accept the dead easily enough, or partial components such as blood, random biomass and so on. To take a life upon it, to engage in ritual if one has time to do so, that is sure to yield more powerful results yes? Let us see! Add what you will, if you'd like — simply focus on the flow of energy as it begins. The Force, blood, another body, anything will do."

As if they were planning something as pleasant as a dinner party, A'Mia directed their attention to the dark waters of the well at the center of the altar.

"You can feel it, can't you? It hungers, it seeks transmutation. All of Brosi thrives in a similar way — feeding on death and decay to create new life."

Just as suddenly as her instruction and musings began, they halted as she snapped the necks of the sacrifices she held and cast them into the water. Where their bodies should have bobbed or remained visible, instead they struck its surface to be immediately swallowed up. Runes along the surface of the stone glowed, and a low arcane thrum filled the air.

 

[Revna Marr]

Tags:
Madrona A’Mia // Darth Strosius ​

The trip through the underbrush of Brosi wasn’t too unpleasant for Revna; in fact, the planet itself recognized her and seemed to allow her entry. For her Father, however, the distance travelled on foot was anything but pleasant, and Revna had to suppress the smirk as the Sith Lord struggled through the grasping foliage that snagged on His robes. His struggles were short lived, however, and soon they both came upon the near maniac Neti in her prime environment.

Though Alisteri did not return the glance towards Revna (not that she would have noticed it anyway due to Him wearing His damn mask all the time), she could feel the very subtle shift of emotions in Him. He was concerned for the Neti, on a deeper level than what Revna might have first thought. She had known that the two of them had spent time together; she even saw them dance together (and if truth be told, she could tell that her Father had enjoyed it, though He might deny it at first). The connection between the Lord Seer of Korriban and the Prophet of Bogan was a good sign, one that Revna hoped would continue to flourish - one, for the sake of the growing alliance between Wonosa and Korriban, and two, for the fact that she wanted to see her Father happy.

And Lina and A’Mia seemed to bring out a side of Him that she’d never truly witnessed before, and cherished for how special it was.

Darth Strosius followed up Revna’s question to A’Mia, asking if perhaps she wanted to rest first before going over the progress she had made, but the Neti shut that down almost instantly. She closed what distance there was between her and Revna and Alisteri with haste that momentarily took Revna off guard, but she quickly eased the tension that coiled in her shoulders. She eased them both towards the edge of the well, gave Revna a gentle pat on the cheek before giving Strosius a squeeze on His arm. Affectionate gestures from the Neti that brought a small smile to Revna’s face before she turned her burning eyes towards the unfortunate souls who were caged nearby.

Two of them were roughly snatched by the Neti, her slender form showing off her surprising strength as she dragged the men forward and likely, towards their doom. Once at the altar, she began to speak to both Revna and Alisteri, while vines ensnared and bound the struggling sacrifices, preventing their escape while silencing them in the same motion. Revna paid them no mind, and listened closely to what her dear friend and courtly comrade had to say about her new project, storing away the information that A’Mia poured out for them both in words. She also suggested, no, encouraged both Revna and her Father to give something of their own to the altar, to see what could be done with it. To truly test it.

A’Mia directed both their attentions to the dark depths of the well, and from it Revna could feel its hunger…something she recognized almost intuitively. She had gifted Psilofyr her Hunger during the ritual to plant the seed when the Imperials had sought to take Brosi from the Sith, and she could feel its echo throughout all of Brosi even now.

The loud snap of bones echoed through the area as A’Mia killed her two bound victims, before dropping their bodies into the darkened waters. Revna watched in grim fascination as it seemed to utterly swallow the offerings, and runes along the surface of the stones glowed in acceptance of the sacrifices. The dark hum of arcane magic rippled through the air, and Revna’s eyes glowed almost brighter with it.

Without hesitation, Revna extended a hand and partially closed her eyes, until only a slit of her fiery eyes could be seen. She focused inward, to the dark well of energy and power that simmered under the surface, and willed it to flow through her and towards her hand. It coiled around her fingers, like blackened mist, before forming a ball of pure dark side energy in her palm. She severed the flow, and the orb of darkness dropped free and into the dark waters, disappearing as more runes lit up with the offer of self-sacrificed energy from the raven haired Sith woman.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius wasn't the flinching type, a lifetime of training and honing Himself as well as naturally superior reflexes and perception had all but rid Him of such a reaction in favor of more decisive ones. Yet in spite of it all the sudden advancement and proximity of the Neti was nothing short of jarring, to the point that His head reared back slightly in a simple reflex that He couldn't prevent. He blinked owlishly and glanced at His daughter from the corner of His eye at the almost deranged response to His suggestion.

He'd never known A'Mia to so quickly disregard the chance to talk over tea. Clearly this project had incited something very fierce and dedicated in her indeed, which did little to ease His concern. In fact it did quite the opposite as one might expect. Perhaps indulging in her fixation with it would help in alleviating her mood, it seemed like the only option as she beckoned them closer to the altar. The contact she offered was too brief for His liking but the masked man didn't try and reach for more, not with A'Mia's current state of mind and certainly not with Revna right there.

Instead the Neti was free to move to the cage and pluck two of the sacrifices from within, already suspecting where they would be heading given His previous experience with an altar such as this one. The cage being left wide open didn't escape His notice however, earning a raised eyebrow from beneath His mask, but before the remaining frightened inhabitants realized that they had a chance to make it out He shut the door with a simple flick of His wrist. With the door closed and locked once more His senses left the cage and returned to A'Mia as she loomed over the waters of the altar.

The encouragement of their additions alongside the two sacrifices was rather odd given the circumstances, Darth Strosius never liked uncontrolled variables in His experiments personally. Especially not with delicate rituals such as this. Perhaps this wasn't the first test after all and A'Mia already knew the result of what two living beings would produce? Unlikely given her remarks on the matter, yet she still seemed intent on just allowing Him and Revna to tamper with the process.

He'd never known the Neti to be so sloppy and unnecessarily risk an experiment in such a manner. As the bodies dropped into the water He saw and then felt His daughter reach out in kind to offer something to the altar, clicking His tongue at the sight. Clearly they needed to have a lesson on how to properly conduct experiments later, perhaps with a stable A'Mia as well just in case. Still He did have one curiosity that He could sate now He supposed. The masked man stepped forwards until He loomed over the waters of the altar Himself, holding a hand out over the edge.

With His other hand He hurriedly pulled up the sleeve of His extended arm and started slipping aside the wrappings beneath it, before finally producing His dagger in a flash of movement and making just enough of a cut to allow for a brief stream of maroon blood to fall into the water below. He slipped the blade back into His robes and fixed His clothing just as quickly as He'd undone it, stepping back from the altar and glancing back towards the Neti warily. "Remind me, how predatory are the creatures from this ritual supposed to be again?"

Madrona A’Mia / Revna Marr

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The speed with which her companions pivoted and adjusted to A'Mia's erratic behavior truly spoke to the rationale behind her summoning them. There was indeed still some method to her madness.

The calm, dark, hungry waters of the pool were eerily still despite sacrifice having just disturbed them. A'Mia said nothing for a time. Too enamored with the process, swaying once more as if in a trance, until the water began to roil in much the same way Alisteri would surely remember from when they'd discovered the original artifact.

"Remind me, how predatory are the creatures from this ritual supposed to be again?"

A long pause as long, wickedly clawed hands began to reach out from within the murky depths, a blue glow soon making light dance across eddies of disrupted water.

"Oh…" she sighed absently, "Originally? Not very…"

The beast soon pulled itself free, yawning its massive maw as if testing the new teeth there. A'Mia smiled up at it as if it were a new born babe.

"I've made some augmentations to the original design though."

 

[Revna Marr]

Tags:
Madrona A’Mia // Darth Strosius ​

Revna watched with mute satisfaction as her Father caved, even against His own misgivings no doubt, and added His own blood to the deep, dark pool with a quick flash of His ritual dagger. Just as quickly as the offering was made, He had stepped back from the altar to cast a hidden look at the Neti - who seemed rather entranced in the moment at what was transpiring.

He asked A’Mia to remind Him of just how predatory the creatures from the ritual were supposed to be.

Revna backed away too, putting space between herself and the altar, while also watching and listening for A’Mia’s response. This was the incredibly risky part of the ritual, no doubt. But Revna was no stranger to risks being taken in rituals like this.

How many experiments and other things had she done with not just A’Mia but Caedes as well, when she’d been on Korriban during the latter part of her “captivity”?

For a long, and very concerning moment, A’Mia said nothing. Only when the waters within the altar began to roil fiercely, and clawed hands began to crawl their way out of the water, did the Neti speak.

It wasn’t very reassuring, either.

“Originally not very…?” Revna questioned her Grove Sister, an edge to her voice. She wasn’t feeling fear, but now she was on guard - ready to fight for her life or defend herself or her loved ones, if it was necessary. The creature pulled itself free of the pool, yawning massive jaws and teeth and eyes and A’Mia just stared at it like it was a perfect, newborn baby, before idly commenting that she had made augmentations to the original design.

And now the result was on display for all three of them to see.

Despite her wariness, Revna couldn’t help but look upon the creature before them with awe.

A smile, then a low chuckle, rumbled from Revna’s chest.

“Look at what we all made together…Oh…it’s magnificent!”

 

[Darth Strosius]

Visually the ritual wasn't the most striking, no bursts of light or grand emanations from the surface of the water. But Darth Strosius knew better. He'd already seen the original process after all and He knew that the actual ritual was at work within the depths of the pool itself, something which He could sense pulsing against His mind as He watched the water begin to shift. That A'Mia chose to wait until the creature had begun to emerge before answering His question did somewhat diminish the spectacle in favor of caution however.

Caution that was, in His mind at least, entirely warranted when the beast rose fully from the water and displayed its rather impressive set of teeth. He idly ran His tongue along His own fangs at the sight, a small part of Him wondering how similar they might be due to His contribution to the ritual. In the end though He quickly decided that He'd rather not know. "Only 'some' augmentations?" The question mirrored His daughter's tone, albeit a bit dryer as He cast a sidelong glance at the Neti.

"A'Mia, that's an apex predator. Trust me, I would know." The original ritual had made an imposing beast from the Neti's sacrifice to be sure, but even He could tell that it was meant to be more of a guardian rather than an outright creature of war. This product however was clearly far more dangerous and obviously deadly than the the original creation. Though He did have to admit that Revna wasn't at all incorrect, it was definitely quite a stunning creature to behold.

Although truthfully He was far more interested in the process of its creation than the final product itself. A'Mia had not only successfully transferred and recreated the original ritual site but had seemingly even managed to tweak and improve upon it, and that was where His interest really laid. Being able to produce such creatures almost at will, so quickly and so effectively, was simply an impossible concept to grasp had He not seen it in action twice now. And it raised the rather apt question of just what He could do with such a ritual Himself.

Madrona A’Mia / Revna Marr