Lothal | BYOO
Equipment •
Scrapborn |
Scrapfangs |
Scrapveil
Sidekick (occasionally) •
Clunk3r
Interaction{s} • Open
The mountain path surrendered them to the base of the Jedi Temple, where Shae’ri Mor came to a halt beside Clunk3r and regarded the ruin before them. The ancient structure had suffered a collapse so complete that one entire side of the temple had been swallowed beneath its own stonework, great slabs of weathered masonry resting upon one another.
Dust clung to the fractured pillars, and tangled vegetation had begun reclaiming the outer walls, threading through cracks that centuries of neglect had widened into wounds. Yet the opposite side remained standing, its entrance partially intact beneath a sagging archway. She studied the opening in silence, her eyes tracing the structural weaknesses and the shadows beyond.
Clunk3r rotated his sensor assembly toward the entrance. “Should I conduct a life-form scan, Shae’ri?” he asked. She adjusted one of the straps securing her Scrapveil armor and glanced at him. “There’s no need, Clunk3r. If anything survived in there, it has either developed an impressive talent for patience or a profound lack of ambition. Either way, we shall soon discover which.”
Shae’ri stepped through the surviving entrance, and the temple swallowed her beneath its oppressive silence. Streams of pale mountain light pierced the darkness through gaping holes in the roof, illuminating drifting dust and broken statues whose faces had been worn beyond recognition.
What little illumination remained fell in narrow columns across the floor, revealing fragments of ancient stonework and the blackened remnants of furnishings that had once belonged to those who believed enlightenment could be achieved through discipline and abstinence. Clunk3r followed, his servomotors whining beneath the weight of his frame.
“My life-form scanner is detecting signs further inside the temple,” he announced, his mechanical voice carrying unnaturally through the hollow corridors. Shae’ri continued forward, one hand resting near the grip of a Scrapfang. “Probably
loth-rats, Clunk3r. Nothing to worry about. Come on. Let’s use what little light we have to our advantage.”
They investigated the first chamber, finding only collapsed shelves, shattered meditation stones, and layers of dust undisturbed by anything resembling civilized activity. The second room proved no more generous. Its walls had buckled inward, its floor was littered with debris, and the remnants of faded Jedi inscriptions had been reduced to meaningless fragments beneath centuries of decay.
The third chamber appeared equally worthless until Shae’ri noticed a section of wall whose destruction seemed strangely incomplete. She brushed aside loose rubble, exposing a narrow seam concealed behind fallen stone. With a grunt, she shifted a broken slab, and part of the wall gave way, revealing a hidden spiral staircase descending into a darkness so absolute that even the scattered light from the ruined temple seemed reluctant to approach it.
The steps curved downward beyond sight, their edges worn smooth by time, while a faint current of cold air rose from the depths. Clunk3r’s sensors whirred with renewed urgency. “Shae’ri, those life-form readings...” She raised one hand, silencing him before he could finish. “Sorry, Clunk3r. You’re too bulky to fit through here. Wait right here. I’ll be back shortly.”
The droid shifted his weight, his singular eye brightening. “But the lifeforms my scanners detected could indicate...” “Stop worrying. Just rats.” Shae’ri turned away before he could formulate another objection, her boots finding the first step. Then, with her saber secured at her side and the darkness waiting below like an open maw, she began her slow descent into the forgotten depths of the Jedi Temple.
