Private The Witches's Consultation

[Darth Empyrean]

Maliphant let her speak her peace, obviously a modicum of annoyance in her tone about his unwillingness to explain his circumstance in the afterlife. Slowly, he rose from the bed, taking a small step towards her -

“I’ve told you what I need to, Nightmother. Respect that.”, and as much as he wanted to say more - he understands all too well he couldn’t back up his stalwart certainty without The Force. Even the use of a lightsaber was reliant on it, and he was far too weakened to compete with any force user now.

“As far as the ritual-”, he said with a passive wave as he moved to explore the unopened cupboards and drawers, “-I will remain, as I doubt I have much choice in the matter. If I decline, I die; or search the galaxy for others to assist and die regardless.”

He laughed at that, though perhaps out of a cruel irony for himself. How many had he killed, only to be left to the devices of another? The Force was a cruel mistress, and it reared its head more by the day.


[member="Vytal Noctura"]

 

[Vytal Noctura]

What did he expect her to respect, precisely? Vytal met the man's gaze with silence. To leave a Witch to guess as to the nature of his malady... Did laypeople expect a Witch would just know? Perhaps use a magick spell to just lay the truth out bare before them? Perhaps then they should be demanding the Witches teach them the secret to life, immortality, or unraveling what was to come to better position themselves to take advantage of these future events. Yes, perhaps magick had no rules whatsoever and was a convenient excuse to hand-wave something useful from the cosmos.

Well, the Sith Lord was just so fortunate what he was willing to part with and what magick was at their disposal had laid bare enough. Rather, the Dark Lord had better hope it was enough or else his time among the living would be dreadfully short.

"Bring the Lord his possessions," the Nightmother announced for one of the attendants in the hallway to fulfill with haste.

As to the man's circumstances, she responded, "You will not be disappointed in your choice, Lord Maliphant. However, I will have to ask that you follow our requests during the rituals no matter how strange or uncomfortable they may seem." There'd be no place to refuse a brew as he had time before. Yes, even after one such drew violent protest from his body.

"Shall we take the first step toward your recovery, or would you prefer to be escorted you to the Ritual Hall later?" A small smile played at Vytal's lips. Did the Lord desire to check every inch of the room for eavesdropping devices?

Tag: [member="Darth Maliphant"]​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Sith Lord glanced around, and while he was unarmed he simply shrugged -

“No, I believe we can begin now.”, he said with a smile of his own.

“Assuming of course all my possessions arrive - then I’ll be more than happy to oblige whatever requests you have.”, Maliphant offered with his own idle fancy.

He had read Mother Talzin’s Grimoire more times than he cared to admit - but Magick had never been his strong suit. He’d lived with the Primeval Witches, those Dathomiri few who broke free from the coven to worship the dark gods in their endless expansive through the Outer Rim; and he’d done his fair share of the Magick often left to the secret cults of the Nightsisters - but they didn’t accept men, now matter their skill.

To some degree, Maliphant had an appreciation for their conviction - but unless he had an outstanding reason otherwise, he’d never hint at his understanding of their spells. It was hard pressed to believe Noctura would believe him, regardless.

“This first ritual, what do you hope to do with it, Nightmother?”

[member="Vytal Noctura"]

 

[Vytal Noctura]

"Unlike the Jedi, who would sit around meditating on the 'proper' course of action, you and I are going to explore the nature of your affliction. The process will be...safe." A small smile played across the Nightmother's lips for a moment. "If there is a spirit attached to you, we should identify them to aid in extrracting your soul from their grasp. Otherwise, we can create a block to help in returning your full power back into this world."

It would only take a minute for an attendant to drift into the room. They held [member="Darth Maliphant"]'s possessions aloft in both arms for the Sith Lord to examine and take as he chose, or direct them where to set them.

Naturally, the Mandragora had given them a cursory or surface-level examination. Much as they weren't prepared to invade the man's privacy, it had been a spiritual emergency. Much as a Doctor might examine one's possessions to deduce the cause of a sudden onset of disease, so too had the spiritualists sought to learn more of Maliphant's condition. Not that his possessions seemed to be related to his plight. Not directly anyway. What he may have attempted as a result of their ownership was another matter.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Of the goods laid out before him, Maliphant grabbed only the rather simplistic handle of his lightsaber, strapped it to his hip and adjusted it for comfort. Without the force, it was all he could hope to have for protection - as shameful as it was to use a Jedi’s weapon. He sighed and motioned where the rest was to be placed.

“Then let us continue, Nightmother. If we must explore my malady further, then let us not delay.”, he said with a quiet regard for the door.

As they continued to walk, he glanced over to her, asking her a simple question -

“You assume another spirit has take part of my soul. Would they not have exposed themselves by now?”

[member="Vytal Noctura"]

 

[Vytal Noctura]

"No." Vytal stopped before a solid length of wall and turned her head to look over at [member="Darth Maliphant"]. "Not if they were smart, and you would be surprised at the cunning the dead display."

A bright green glow shone from Vytal's eyes as she turned her gaze back to the wall. With a wave of her hand the stone rippled and faded to reveal a bleak, sickening landscape beyond. A world with jagged peaks, towering spires, and floating platforms. Spirits large and small, fast and fierce, savage and sly. The Netherrealm.

"Care to join me?" The Nightmother strode ahead and crossed the threshold without offering a hand to the Sith Lord. It was not necessary, and the man had already demonstrated at length a lack of interest in being aided. If he wished to preserve his pride she would not go out of her way to needle him on the matter.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Maliphant seemed to pause at the display, glancing to the Netherworld portal she created before him. There was every ounce of his body screaming to avoid it, that he knew the dangers of what came with it - how he had spent months that felt like years in the desert of a realm. The idea that entering it would somehow save his soul seemed counterproductive, and he clenched his jaw tighter than ever.​

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He spoke almost through clenched teeth -​

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“Of course, Nightmother.”, though there was scorn in it.​

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Fear wasn’t an emotion he often felt, but it was one he felt faced with the prospect of entering the nether once more - and so as he passed over the precipice to the depths of the Nether once more, he gripped the handle of his lightsaber. It was a creation he had made long ago, and while he couldn’t wield it as well as he could with the force - it held its own set of powers that would ensure he could destroy a spirit would one come to him…​

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He hoped the Nightmother was right.​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Whatever Maliphant felt toward the Nether did not weigh on the Dathomiri woman's mind. He had chosen to explore a realm of dangers the living could scarcely comprehend. That the Nether appeared to possess the same or similiar traits of the mortal realm -- ground, hills, buildings -- could quickly deceive visitors into believing it behaved in a similar fashion. It did not. It was a realm of danger unlike any other, and not one to be taken lightly.

Even a Nightsister did not toy with the Nether; as the Nightmother did not toy with it now. This venture was for the man's benefit. They would brave the risk to seek answers. His condition too critical to do any less.

After they stepped through, the pale woman turned to regard the Sith Lord for a moment in the light of the dead. It seemed the anchor was holding, and provided a buffer between the man and what hungered for him. Enough so what remain of the man's life could not be snatched instantly by their being there.

"Now, let us begin." Both hands lifted and drew sigils in the air between them. Green mist roses from what seemed solid ground and coiled about the man before Vytal. "We have stopped the 'bleeding.' Let us see if we can begin to conjure some of what was lost."

After a minute, the Nightmother's hand lowered and she nodded slightly. "It will do for now. Let us proceed, Darth Empyrean . To the overlook, there," a lone finger pointed to a peak that jutted out a hundred feet from where they stood. Had it been there when they first arrived? "There is no need to hide." If there were a spirit roaming then they should get a look at it. Spiritual combat had much in common, strategically, with mortal warfare after all. Merely different instruments.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Stepping through the ether into the Nether once again was odd - though this wasn’t nearly as… sudden, nor deep as he had once gone. There was no blackened city in the distance, and there was a calmness to it that wasn’t once there - no doubt a portion of the Nightmother’s power in the search of spirits. Sith Lore regarded the Nether in far more mundane terms, considering it nearly useless -​

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But Mother Talzin’s grimoire had shown the Witches of Dathomir thought far differently of such things. The contrast was… interesting, but Maliphant never practiced what he read, only studied to appreciate. The Nightmother was his source for such things regardless; something he had to remind himself of constantly.​

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Maliphant clenched his hand, open and shut as he felt his body in the new world; but he couldn’t help but dislike the way it seemed. Slow, dangerous in such times -​

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Though when the Witch demanded he approach a cliff, he did so with only a mild resistance. His heart raced, though he didn’t show it - and every second he stays here reminded him more of the memories of wandering the empty sands.​

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“A spirit…”, he said lightly.​

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He furrowed brow as he stepped closer - still unsure that the idea had any substance; yet as he took a final step, one did appear. Sudden and rabid, a mist coiled around a void and spun with a velocity that only increased - until visibly was nigh, and the roar of spirit winds in the Nether was near deafening; and only then did it cease.​

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In the wake of the storm, sudden as it came, was a man of horrid complexion. His energy radiated darkness, of Sithly values, but it was exceptionally odd for a Sith to maintain control of their identity in the Nether, even as a spirit. Yet, the longer they looked, the more Vytal might notice a striking similarity to Maliphant himself.​

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His voice was dark, a bassy echo as the man laid a transparent foot on the cliff -​

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“Welcome back, ‘Maliphant’.”, he said with a vicious, wide grin.​

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Though the gaze slowly turned to the Nightmother that accompanied him.​

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“And you bring a woman… How like you.”, but there was scorn in his voice, and disgust on his features as he looked at the Nightmother.​

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Maliphant however, studied the man closely, but he did not speak. Instead, he waited - for the Nightmother perhaps, for him to remember who this man was, anything to move forward​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Vytal stood near the Sith Lord, her countenance chiseled from stone as the maelstrom raged for its time. She was well aware of the potency of the display, and did not take it lightly by any means. For all her knowledge and...gifts the Dathomiri woman was still mortal. The Nether was a realm of untold danger, and one such had deign to grace them with its presence it would seem.

Curious, the Nightmother thought, that this deformed creature of the deep had the aura of one such as Maliphant. Many of their philosophy did lose a sense of self in passing as did most others; but of those that recalled who or what they had once been, far fewer Sith were counted among them. Consequence of being so attuned to one's passions, perhaps. To already be on the verge of losing a sense of self in order to tap into the limitless energy surrounding them.

Glowing, green eyes met the reproachful gaze of the doppelgänger. Let it bluster. They had not come to the Nether to bandy words with the Lost. That being the case, this development was perhaps exactly what they sought.

"In your time here, did you ever feel the sense you had 'forgotten' something? Perhaps 'lost' something?" Vytal avoided the use of the man's name despite the spirit having already done so. Better not to feed it more than it may already know. In fact, it was why she declined asking the spirit itself any pointed questions. With such spite and disregard it would likely ignore her, or worse adopt what she said to fashion a narrative in an effort to forge chains about its intended victim.

Was it something shed, or a spirit that had begun to assume the identity of the living from which it fed? In one instance, the spirit might need to live. And in the other, perish.

Tag: Darth Empyrean​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Besides the constant threat of losing my entire identity?”, Maliphant said with a glance to her from the side of his eye. There was obviously some sardonic tone to it, but his exhale quickly dissipated any disdain in his voice.​

​

“Yes. I felt like I lost… Much, before I appeared back among the living. Even still, not all of my memories have returned.”, he said idly - though he avoided the part that he had trouble remembering much of his past after the Sith Empire had brainwashed him.​

​

The spirit set itself down in front of them, and Maliphant watched him carefully with lightsaber in hand. He was more curious as to who this person was, why they looked like him - was it coincidence, or because he had stolen parts of his soul himself? He wanted to reach out, touch the Sith, but knew neither the Nightmother or fate would likely support such and idea - even if the Sith did.​

​

Golden eyes met golden eyes as he looked down - the man was noticeably taller, more defined with a surprisingly regal clothing. Obviously his choice of fashion from the era he lived, though to specific timeframe seemed to point towards the Old Republic era. His voice came once more, booming in its bass;​

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“Nightmother, has this been rude to you?”, he said with a glance to the Witch.​

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“Maliphant once had a… history of abuse to women. Murder during your tenure as a nameless terrorist, correct?”, he said with some scorn to the Sith Lord in front of him.​

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Maliphant couldn’t help but scowl at the man’s insult -​

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“A different time, a different mind. Don’t assume you know me.”​

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“Oh, but I do, ‘Dorian’.”, the nameless Sith said with a cruel smile.​

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“I’ve spent so long protecting you, guiding you - only for you to spit in the face of my teachings.”, he said with proverbial spit flying from his transparent mouth.​

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Maliphant couldn’t help but growl from inside his throat, annoyed at the obvious ‘attention’ the man had garnered from him, but he grew more curious. What exactly was he meaning ‘guiding’, ‘protecting’? Was it a ploy to disarm him, to take more of his soul?​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

A small twist of Vytal's lips upward followed the Sith Lord's snappy response. No, losing his entire identity was a sufficient observation regarding his time in the Land of the Dead. What's more, this new found spirit that had made its grand debut seemed content to hold its peace. It hadn't lashed out. No snarling, gnashing of teeth, or swiping of claws in the air. If it sought to provoke the man it seemed content to bide its time; allow the situation to come to a slow boil.

What Maliphant spoke of then... Most curious. It did not firmly answer as to the nature of the spirit before them, but two possibilities might exist. One, he left a part of himself behind unwittingly or otherwise; and two, something took a part of him and might seek the rest.

Her chin turned toward the spirit as it addressed the Nightmother. "Nothing I could not handle, Lord...?" Even if one supposed the answer was apparent, she would rather the spirit name itself and dispense with all doubt. "And this...ailment that Lord Maliphant has endured of late? Might it have to do with his failure to heed your lessons?" A means of encouraging the man among the Living to return, perhaps.

"It is true that we may learn much from the spirits," the Dathomiri woman agreed. "Long have the years been in the other plane. Much experience and wisdom may be found by those not at the mercy of time alone. A person could be led to greatness, with the proper guide." She spoke calmly and kept the spirit in sight as she did so. What reaction might her words invoke -- be they affirmation or scorn?

It did not matter that Maliphant was Sith or came from their Empire that held Dathomir as its own. He had come for aid, and Vytal had accepted his request. She would test this spirit to uncover its motives and then help Maliphant come to terms with fate.

Tag: Darth Empyrean​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“You believe I had a hand in his affliction?”, The Sith Lord’s ghost said with a threat that penetrated the words he spoke. It was obvious he resisted making a scowl outright, but it wasn’t so well resisted she couldn’t tell.​

​

“I may be cruel, but I’m not… That.”, he said idly as he moved closer to the witch.​

​

Maliphant watched with a heated annoyance as the Sith moved his attention from berating him, to speaking to the Witch with far more respect. Was there a reason he insulted him in one breathe and offered her anything more? Annoying, is what it was, so he crossed his arms with lightsaber in hand and furrowed his brow.​

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“No, were it not for me, his Soul would have been lost long ago - I kept it together. I gave him strength in this world that he didn’t have on his own - for the many months he spent trapped within it.”, The Sith Lord said with a glance back to Maliphant.​

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“You, Nightmother, can call me Darth Sephi.”, he said with a suddenly wide grin.​

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“I’m Maliphant’s father.”​

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“You’re what?”​

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Vytal Noctura​

​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

The spirit seemed mildly aggravated at any suggestion the 'Father' had afflicted the 'Son' with a spiritual wound. It possessed more than malice then; a semblance of self. The turn this spirit claimed to be the Father of Darth Maliphant was itself quite a twist, but that he was mentally intact opened possibilities. Complications, possibly, but possibilities.

Vytal noted the incredulity in Maliphant's response at the spirit claiming to be his Father. It would be curious to learn to what extent the Sith Lord rejected the assertion. It wouldn't be unheard of for a spirit to claim to be more than what they were. Bothersome number proclaimed themselves gods. Even in death the egos of the formerly living could be immeasurable.

"Darth Sephi," the Nightmother acknowledged the moniker offered by the spirit. "You aided Lord Maliphant weather this realm? Perhaps you could help us understand the depth of your forgotten aide. A Son should heard the words of the Father, after all." Though that did not always mean they had to abide by those words. She desired to learn more of what motivated Darth Sephi. Had he come to reunite with a wayward child? Sith Lords were rarely nostalgic. They were, however, cunning. Cunning enough to evade a Clan Mother's notice and earn their trust. Creatures to be wary of to be sure.

Tag: Darth Empyrean

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“In a simple word, I reinforced his soul.”, Sephi said as his full attention turned the Nightmother.​

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“Can we talk about ‘Maliphant’s father’ for a second?”, Maliphant protested as he took a step forward - though Sephi ignored him in favor of the Dathomiri.​

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“Perhaps you don’t understand - but the depths of the Netherworld, more notably where Maliphant was, is Chaos. And for its namesake, it holds true - and in Chaos it is… Hard to remember who you are. The Force rips and tears itself asunder…”, Sephi said as he walked a small distance from her.​

​

He found a rock, and slowly picked it up. It seemed sturdy, as strong and powerful as any other rock in the desert that surrounded them - but he had picked it up regardless. His translucent, vaguely glowing yellow gaze looked over his shoulder to the Nightmother, and he presented to her his gift.​

​

“Chaos will remove piece by piece of your identity, your strength. Break you down to nothing, should you live amongst it for too long.”, Sephi tutored, and as though by example the rock he carried in his hand slowly turned to dust - fraying at the edges until it was half the size that it once was, and its particles disappearing into the wind.​

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“I helped it remain, held it until Maliphant found a way back. The trouble is…”, and with his, the Sith Lord glanced to his ‘son’, though the validity of that seemed hard to believe at the moment.​

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“... the integrity of his, it is still compromised. Now it breaks apart even in the world he knows, and here we are… back to the world he escaped.”​

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“Does this suffice for an answer?”, he said with a glance back to Vytal.​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

Vytal smiled at the spirit's recounting of how he saved his son, and apparently how it might have merely prolonged the inevitable. It was a well spun answer. One that aligned with her understanding, and the Sith Lord's circumstances. This could bode well for it being true, or ill as being precisely what she wanted to hear. The Nether -- a realm of spiritual energy -- could be no more trusted than the spirits in it as they held their own counsel.

"It does, Darth Sephi." The Dathomiri woman glanced in Maliphant's direction. "Though it is curious such an affliction would follow. Surely there must be a spiritual wound, or a 'connection' that was not severed upon his departing this plane. A means for his strength to continue to seep back across the veil. Being as knowledgeable in this realm as you are, would you know the cause?"

She wasn't ignoring the matter of the spirit claiming to be the Father. Not out of negligence. It was entirely deliberate. The Father seemed keen to ignore Maliphant in favor of Vytal; if they were family then there was no doubt some personal reasons for this. Perhaps the 'Son' should make demand his Father answer him straight and true on the matter. If it did not, then she would bend the spirit's ear to know more.

No matter who or what Darth Sephi was, the Nightmother would play to him being powerful and knowledgeable. Indispensable. Unrivaled. After all, was a person -- especially a Sith Lord -- more inclined to speak freely if they felt properly acknowledged for who they were? If the spirit spoke true, they would be remiss not to listen to what he had to say. To this point, they had nothing to lose and much to gain.

That said, Vytal kept a watch on Maliphant's 'cohesion' in case tarrying was not weathered well by the soul that had come and gone once before.

Tag: Darth Empyrean

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Sephi paused for a moment, looking to the Nightmother with a testing glance. She had complimented him, so perhaps that was why - but it only lasted a second before he looked back to Maliphant, as though to observe something none of them could see. His head cocked, and in the moment of silence he pointed a finger to his son.​

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“I would be… wary of a connection here, but what you say is true. His energies do return across the veil; which is odd.”, he said with a quiet regard for Maliphant.​

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“Tell us boy, what did you seek out?”​

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Maliphant furrowed a brow and crossed his arms, glancing between the two. Did they honestly expect him to be so transparent? His jaw clenched, still annoyed at the thought this ‘Ghost’ could be his father - though he didn’t have proof to deny such a claim at the moment, considering he barely even knew his own mother.​

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“The Throne of Judgement.”​

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Sephi seemed to pause before laughing, short and detestable as it was - he glanced back to the Nightmother. He beamed for a moment, showing the near pointed rows of teeth he held;​

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“The boy sought to become a God, Nightmother. It seems he flew too close to the sun.”, and the Sith Lord returned his gaze.​

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“At least you follow in my footsteps, but perhaps you need a bit more understanding of ‘Chaos’ than you do. The Nightmother understands the dangers of the Nether, so I don’t see why you couldn’t…”, he said with a scornful frown.​

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“You own Mother Talzin’s Grimoire. Did it not speak of such things, or did you skip it in favour of Sidious’s teachings?”​

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Maliphant didn’t ordain it with a response, simply remaining quiet, but his posture implied the anger he held back.​

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“No… What you need is a way to hold your soul together. To drag what parts have gone back - lest you’ll never be the Sith you were, as meager as it was. Won’t be able to use the Force until then either.”, Sephi said with a cruel grin.​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

A connection to the Nether would be extremely dangerous. It was a matter she knew well of, but would not choose to share such here and now. Much as Darth Maliphant had chosen not to admit he'd sought out the Throne of Judgment in his time here. The Nightmother's smile melted at the admission. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment, but at least she managed to suppress the depthless sigh that yearned to be set free. Men. Times like these only caused a Nightsister that tried to accept male authority to wish the galaxy had seen reason and never tempted fate so.

Her eyes opened to find the man's Father in spirit form quite smitten with the news. Yes, they were all beside themselves with the hilarity; it was only a shame Vytal could not bring herself to laugh at such a serious matter. Maliphant hadn't sought out some trinket for power... he'd sought out the source of power itself. Ambitious, though not the sort of ambition she would hope someone to possess.

Sephi was then content to speak directly to his son, now. Under other circumstances he'd feign pride at being the galaxy's best spiritual therapist. At that moment, however, she was too focused on what was being said to break the tension. Talzin's Grimoire was not terribly surprising -- important, but then Maliphant's possessions had been briefly in the Mandragora's possession -- but the Other... Vytal snorted at the mention of Sidious' name. While Vytal was not well versed in the man's teachings, she knew of Sidious. Many Nightsisters did. Who forgot the name of a male that tried to once wipe out the Nightsisters fearful their power might eclipse his own?

"A spiritual anchor has been used to hold what remains of Darth Maliphant's soul together," the Nightmother remarked at last. Sephi's comment about a lack of Force ability was noted -- not surprising the man hadn't mentioned that since waking -- but not worth getting worked up over.

Her gaze turned toward the man of the hour then. "Do you recall what may have resulted in your condition, or how close you came to the Throne? As a means of obtaining such power there will be those that guarded it judiciously." Those that had already ascended, mostly. A few that might not want others to surpass their 'greatness' as well -- people or creatures that had yet to find a means of claiming the title of godhood. "Your condition may be more grievous than I would have hoped. If there's to be any chance at reversing it, we must understand how it happened." Otherwise they'd skip the simple efforts to correct it and move straight to the top of the list. Perilous as they may be.

Tag: Darth Empyrean

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“A good start, Nightmother. At least someone has sense around here…”, Sephi offered with a dismissive wave of his hand.​

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Maliphant however, furrowed his brow, still seething at the audacity of this being. He only broke his death stare when Vytal spoke to him, forcing him to lose some of the tension he held in his shoulders, in his face. The man sighed and looked to her with the same golden eyes that Sephi held - though far less translucent.​

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“I remember entering the Black City, but after that, it… fades.”, he said with a sigh.​

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The Black City was the epicenter of Chaos, the corrupted epicenter of the Dark Side; where Sith of every sort were forsaken within. More often, they dissipate their identity, and become apart of the gestalt consciousness that was the nether - but in some cases, such as Sephi and Maliphant, they survived; at least for a time. How Sephi had managed to hold himself together since the old republic however, remained to be seen.​

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“Were I attacked, it would have been there.”, he said idly.​

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Sephi chimed in, “I didn’t enter with you. I only found you after, and sent you back to Coruscant. Anything before that is your own doing.”​

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Vytal Noctura​

 

[Vytal Noctura]

The Black City? Vytal's eyes shifted between the two men. "I know of this place, but I have not been there," she confessed. Strange the seat of power would reside surrounded by the Sith dead that would have wanted it most. This appeared to be some greater power's 'humor' at play. The ability to ascend to greatness within sight, but forever out of reach. Perverse, but not deplorable.

Could that truly be where the throne was, and might the Sith or whatever remain of their energy been turned against Maliphant or sought to claim him? How then did he escape? Sephi implied he had no part or knowledge of what happened within the City.

"Let us move to the gates of the Black City," the Nightmother proposed after a moment of thought. "If that is where your memories end, perhaps more will surface confronted with its sight." If nothing else, they might see something of note or encounter something that would lead them further down the path.

The glowing green eyes shifted to Sephi once more. "Do you believe there may be others like yourself there?" A two-fold question to understand what might be inside, and perhaps how this Darth seemed to have avoided his fate.

Tag: Darth Empyrean