To Pierce the Night (Coryn Raxis)

[Hailyn]

It was not every day that Braith went out of her way to teach others a thing or two about her favorite hobby, and now career craft. From alchemy of the Sith to the "Jedi" sort, and from imbuement of swords to staffs, Braith was not only a master of the force but of physically pounding out steel or meticulously altering the molecular makeup of the materials that she used in her work. Today she was opening her doors not only to potential apprentices to her small shop, but also to Jedi that carried references of good behavior from either of the two most popular Jedi Orders this side of the Hydian Way - the Republic's Jedi Order and the Silvers that her girlfriend seemed to visit almost every other week. Part of this was to keep Corvus from insisting she make friends, she was kind of the type of person that only made friends after being overly exposed to someone after a long period of time, but this was also to scout for potential employees to her budding company as well as apprentices to learn her trade from her. All in all it was rather complicated, but one [member="Coryn Raxis"] and a yet-to-be-named Aetharian - whom was soon to arrive. In preparation for the lesson, and the assistance in helping the aforementioned Coryn forge his own force-imbued blade, Braith had kept the location to a forge on Ossus. The room had enough space for three people to stand on either side of the forge, which was positioned to the wall, with an anvil, coals, and small melting pot that served to break down metals at super-heated temperatures. All she had to do now was wait, having set up for the most part already.

 

[Vakarian]

Ossus

Home of the Jedi Order, and center of the larger part of Force Users allied with the Republic. He had never thought to see the home of the Jedi, and now that he was on the world, it was a little unsettling. He had brought his own ship to get him to the planet, and had arrived in rather decent time. His meeting with [member=Braith Achlys] was to be undertaken on the world, more specifically near the forges. He had gotten her to train him in Alchemy, and whilst he wouldn't normally trust just anyone; he felt that he could trust her. That, and she knew Corvus Raaf - that had to count for something. So, that was how he had found himself on Ossus, travelling through the grounds of the temple and towards the vicinity of the forge.

This was all going to be a new experience for him, he had not really seen much of the Galaxy outside of Voss, Midvinter, Dathomir, Dagobah and Tygara. His life, since his escape from Dathomir, had been nothing much activity and he relished in it - it allowed him peace of mind from the constant whispers of temptation from the dark side. He had learned quite a bit since that time, and now he was here to learn even more. According to the rumors swirling about the galaxy, Braith knew her Alchemy and her skill with Force Imbuement was masterful to say the least. It was both an honor and an adventure to be able to learn the skill; bonus being that he'd be able to imbue his own weapon with the skills that she taught him.

After a few more minutes of walking, and several times of getting lost, Coryn managed to find his way to the forges and his soft, sapphire, gaze fell upon the woman whom he assumed was Braith. He allowed his own presence to flare and send out a ripple of energy through the force to announce his presence before physically moving towards her. He could feel the familiar tingle of her presence on the very edges of his mind, but he did not examine it further. She seemed to be a woman who preferred her solidarity.

 

[Hailyn]

The first to arrive was, as expected, the "Silver" Jedi that had sought out lessons which she was happy to comply. [member="Coryn Raxis"] reminded her, if he were to have been an animal born a man, like a bird - he was fleeting, silent in his arrival, but made his presence known in one of the more natural ways of expressing the force. If it had been any other day, and they hadn't been inside of a forge room, Braith would have answered with the very environment around them, a knack for which had seemed to carry over with her skills in alchemy. But reminiscing her youth and apprenticeship so many thousands of years ago was not a delightful tale, nor was it a public one. As far as the Jedi Order was concerned - those that hadn't known of Corvus's pilgrimage to the tomb on Pax Insul this past month or two ago - she was just a woman that had belonged to a satellite world on the edge of the galactic disc, which was by technicality the truth. The few that knew, of course, considered her some ancient spirit and seemed to judge her for her time and heritage rather than rope her into their circles, perhaps out of jealousy or otherwise. Truly she didn't care, she had all that mattered to her, and even now there were people who were interested in learning things she had to offer - which today would be the forging of a sword out of alchemy, although she would throw in her own combination of imbuement and alchemy afterwards. Trailing in behind the boy was another younger man, certainly younger than the grey master, though likely a tad bit older than Coryn. The Aetharian. Being that Braith was of average human height, although she knew herself to not be human, the man that walked in at a height that lorded over Corvus's own, whom was taller than Braith by at least a forehead. He had chin-length sandy-blonde hair, and an expression of confusion, as though he'd been lost. The Alua'an - that being Braith - set down the tongs she'd been holding, which were to grab the sword she'd be forging with the two students, to smile and wave at the two newcomers.

"Welcome to my little den. I'm not sure how long this will be here, what with the capital being relocated and all and the war out our doorstep, but today we'll set aside all of that. I am Braith Achlys, you can just call be Braith, and while my combat specialties revolve around either close-up brute strength or far-reaching storms and environmental manipulations, when I am out of combat it is by the anvil that I really shine, at least mostly." She explained warmly, or as warmly as her distanced persona would get. "I am, first and foremost in this forge, a master of alchemy. I learned its trade when I was younger than the two of you and half as tall. The imbuement of the force is a similar but less.. uh.. involved technique. The difference between the two are great but their similarities may betray that polarity. To imbue with the force is to breathe the force into something, be it a sword or an amulet, whereas alchemy is to alter, to change, what already is to become something new. For example, I could take a sheet of steel that is to be hammered into the shape of a sword and apply alchemy while I work the blade so that I can shape it exactly how I would like - it is extremely similar to the art of the small, only far more altering. With alchemy I can apply the force in the same manner I would with my hands but treat an amulet so that it would actively perform that same aspect of the force continuously without end, and make it project a shield of protection around it too. Unlike an object imbued with the force, one needn't be sensitive to the force to utilize a tool created through alchemy, which alters materials on the atomic and subatomic level. It is a very difficult ability to master, and a harder one to learn." Braith continued, beginning their little lesson with an explanation to the differences between alchemy and force imbuement. She'd get to the real meat of the subject of their gathering once they first understood the two, wanting them to learn as much of the history and capabilities of the arts that they would be putting at use today as the knowledge of how to apply it.

 

[Vakarian]

Every word that the Neutral Master spoke echoed of ageless wisdom, of a time long before Coryn had walked among the stars. It was disconcerting to be near the woman, whom poured of latent power just through her presence alone. He would not have needed to see her skill in battle to doubt her words to him and the Aetharian next to him. One would be able to tell her power if they knew exactly what to look for, but that could be the youthful and naivety talking at the moment. He had always been biased to things when in terms of affection, not that he cared for the woman in that way; but respect was still a type of affection, right?

He listened to her every word, digesting the information that she offered the two of them, and when she finished speaking, he questioned. "What is the difference between the Alchemy that you do than that of the dark side, Master? I have heard tales of dark and malicious rituals and magicks afforded to the Dark Side through their use of Alchemy. What makes that which you are teaching any different?" It wasn't that he didn't trust the woman, he did trust her. She was not inherently evil nor was she the perfect Light Sider, but in all reality - who was?

He just wanted to be sure that he understood the difference between the two so that he did not venture down the wrong path, should he decide to further his training in what was being taught to him today.

Keeping himself open to the Force, he awaited her answer to his question. He liked the feeling of the various presences scattered on Ossus - most being Light Siders. The mere presence of so many served to lessen the constant whispers of the dark in his mind, and offered him a reprieve from their constant temptations, a reprieve not often received. He had faced his fears on Dagobah, hoping that his journey into the Dark-Side Cave would free him of their temptations, but his experiences had only served to further his own resolve to follow the path of the Light Side. The voices remained, but his surety on his decision to become a Jedi was concrete. Perhaps with time, he would be able to silence the darkness forever, but for now he would endure them silently - relishing in what little silence that he was getting from them at the moment.

 

[Hailyn]

In reality there wasn't much of a difference in what she did and what a Sith did, only that she didn't perverse nature as it wasn't intended to be. Perhaps that made it more similar to art of the small, perhaps not - she wasn't someone who spent years studying the history of the split between what she did and what the Sith did. Before she could properly explain what she observed as being different, however, the Aetharian spoke up. "Forgive the interruption - the name is Tomi, by the way - but I assume the only difference between any form of alchemy and the Sith variety is the absence of the dark side of the force?" The Aetharian, now-dubbed Tomi, asked. Of course this was correct, at least for the most part, but she would get into that soon enough. "Uhm, yes, there is a distinct lack of the dark side present in the things which I physically create or alter through my own use of alchemy." She replied in agreement, though the nature of her tone would lead one to believe she had more to say than just that. "Historically speaking, I come from a planet that had no contact with the Dark Jedi that pioneered Sith alchemy and broke away from the Jedi Order, nor with the Sith empire that followed. It wasn't until I'd already become a skilled practitioner of this skill that I came into contact with one." She briefly explained, touching on her own personal history momentarily to put her own skills into perspective.

"If we look back to the dawn of these Dark Jedi, the people who had practiced alchemy prior to the hundred years darkness and the war surrounding it, we can find implications that, at one point, the use of alchemy was not inherently dark sided. Now, I was born at least three thousand years prior to this whole conflict so I am not too knowledgeable on the exact details of what happened, but at some point someone must have seen the potential to seize power and influence through this and reached an avenue to the dark side through it that led to alchemy's use itself being an almost exclusively dark side tool, though it is not in origin." Braith continued, gesturing to her own clothing as an example of what is "not". "So, little bird, the difference is as real as that of the intent behind a telekinetic push - are you using alchemy to pervert nature and to play god, or are you simply altering the molecular structure of something and imbuing the force within it in a method slightly different than normal imbuement?" She posed, implying, if not outright stating, that nothing was at all different, if even the same. Of course the course was on forging a sword with alchemy and force imbuement, so realistically this question was more or less secondary in importance.

[member="Coryn Raxis"]

 

[Vakarian]

Little bird? The ageless master before him had seen fit to give him another name, a short name, little bird. Whilst he was often unfamiliar with affections, and more often than not, prone to manipulations through them; this, the woman giving him another name, gave him a sense of comfort. It was as though he felt that he belonged to the name and it belonged to him. It was a type of affection, while not entirely personal, it would be enough to give him a sense of home and comfort. Of course, he would not comment on his reaction to the name given to him, but he would carry it with him forthwith.

It was then that he decided to speak, after the woman had answered his question thoroughly, "Forgive my ignorance of the workings of Alchemy, Master. I appreciate the thorough answer that was given by both you, and Tomi.." he gestured to the Aetherian beside him with a curt dip of his head, before turning his attention back to the woman. "I had only meant to learn whether the particular skill that you would be teaching, would offer any negative consequences as does most dark side abilities. I realize that I had an err in my judgment and thought process. Alchemy is as much influenced by the nature of the practitioner as most abilities that can be learned. I apologize for the oversight."

Coryn had no qualms when admitting that he was wrong, or that he had not thought entirely through his words before they left his lips. An err in his judgment that would not be made again, from this point forward he would think more thoroughly through his own words before he would speak them. The master had agreed to teach him, and he had not sensed greater amounts of darkness in her, so he had no reason to doubt that what she taught would bear no semblance to the dark side. The question that followed her explanation seemed to correlate with his thoughts on the matter; she had all but said that the intent was in the hands of the user and not the skill itself.

He allowed his mind to delve deep into the currents of the Force, to feel its ebb and flow once again - so much so that he was aware of the most minute of life forms around him. His attention was drawn to the presence of [member=Braith Achlys], he could feel her ageless wisdom and power, and it called to him. He wanted to further his understanding of her, her nature, and her way of being. It was not often that one ran across a being as old as her after all. But, this was neither the appropriate time or place for such an endeavor. He had asked her to train him in Alchemy and Force Imbuement, and that was what she agreed to. He would not push her further, for now.

 

[Hailyn]

Braith didn't take issue with the student's lack of prior knowledge on the subject - it was why he was learning and she was teaching, after all. The answer she gave him, of course, was just as much to satiate his desire for such knowledge and to ease her own conscience for doing what she had learned Sith had been doing for just as long, if not longer. In any case, it was time for her to actually showcase the sorts of things that alchemy actually did rather than talk about its history, though she was fine with answering questions while she worked - multitasking in such a way wasn't entirely difficult. "As you can see there is only one prepared set of essential equipment for the forging process; the melting pot, the super-heated flame which melts whichever material is placed into the bowl of the pot, the desired mold which the metal will cool into and form, as well as an anvil to hammer on. Of course I have extra tools, hammers and tongs at least.." She said, her voice trailing off as she gestured to the tools and equipment at her - their - disposal. "I will be demonstrating a rather plain example of alchemy, a blade which will fully resist any lightsaber which it comes in contact with and reflect any blaster that manages to strike it. Such a thing is still a skill which requires a great deal of patience at first, and quite a bit of practice, as it isn't like using the force in most ways - we aren't just imbuing energy into the blade like I would a stick, we are re-arranging the atomic structure of the blade to achieve this sort of excellence, which will require quite a bit of practice in order to figure out the structure you are looking for." Braith explained. She planned to go further indepth, of course, but she wanted to let the information she'd given sink in for a moment first - plus it allowed for more questions.

Making the blade would come soon enough.

[member="Coryn Raxis"]