First Reply Unbalanced

[Xeykard]

Lothal Jedi Temple​

The hollowed stone spire broke awkwardly through the earth, tilted slightly to the east. The earth around it was disturbed -- from deep below it had been pulled with great force. The strength of a once-Emperor was difficult to measure, but the devastated surroundings of the ancient temple were sign enough of Carnifex's power.

Yet, it had been a long time since the Empire's arrival here. No one had touched the place in many years. The Bryn'adûl had likely been disinterested upon their conquest here, but prior to that the Sith had laid waste to this world.

Xeykard had no material reason for being here. What few resettlement attempts there had been on Lothal had already been bullied into submission by his forces, and he suspected that the temple may have already been cleared out long ago. No artifacts or holocrons would be found, and even if there were any, they were rarely of use anyways. Strength was found elsewhere.

Nonetheless, he was there, accompanied by the young Zabrak apprentice.

"It smells," Aryrene said.

Xeykard grunted and approached the entryway. It did smell. He sniffed the air, and-

"Someone's here," he said in a low growl. His saber flew to his hand. Something about this place made his senses a haze, but the Inquisitor was a hunter at heart, and he sensed another nearby.

"Follow." As he growled the order, he quashed his own presence, masking himself. Carefully, he advanced into the temple.

 

[Rhiza Dural]

Spoiler: Equipment and links

Personal Equipment

• Red bladed dual phase light saber
• Electro-whip
• Riftblade
• Viper mk1 skinsuit
• Energy Bolas
• throwing shuriken
• Empyrean Gland

Starships

• Oubliette class transport
• HH-87 Starhopper
• Ballerina Interceptor mk ii

Tag: Xeykard

The Zygerrian crept through the ruins, this trip has been something if a bust. She had come here alone, far from Ashlan Space to Lothal for a personal mission. She had spent much time reading her old master's note books, old drawings, theories, maps. He had tried to track down all the old places of power and attempted to decipher their secrets. His note spoke of an old holocron hidden here, but Rhiza had found nothing but dust and bones. She had found an old wrecked lightsaber. It might tell a story, it might be worth no more than the quality of the crystal inside it. But she kept it out of curiosity.

Something in the air began to change as she felt the temple shifting, someone else was entering. How curious, the chances of someone just stumbling upon this place, or coming to visit it at the same time were tiny. Was someone looking for her down here?

Rhiza shut her eyes and reached out into the dim corridors trying to find someone or something, she touched the mind of someone, there was definitely another force user here, but just a learner, and alone it seemed. Maybe hunting for their own stories, listening to the fabled songs of the kyber crystals, or just exploring. She would mask her own presence and stay hidden. Rhiza was very curious what this young one was doing here now, she wouldn't allow her presence be known until she had more clues, maybe it was an opportunity to take on a student, she felt a little darkness in the mind of this one, that was no matter to her, she shared a similar trait herself.

She grasped her riftblade in one hand, it's retracting blade was useful in the tight corridors, and it also didnt glow, so she would move like a shadow in the night whilst she stalked her quarry.

 

[Xeykard]

Rhiza Dural ​

"Ow." Aryrene winced, bringing their hand up to their temple.

Xeykard's gaze shot back to the acolyte. "Do you have your amulet?"

The Zabrak tensed up a little, scratching the back of their neck. "I think I forgot it," they admitted.

"Fool," he growled. "Shield your mind. Give nothing."

Aryrene began to concentrate. Xeykard would leave further berating to later. They had more pressing issues now. "I will go ahead. Cry out if you are struck."

They pushed onwards. Past the main hall began a series of natural corridors, humming with some sort of ambient energy. Xeykard walked silently, keeping ahead of Aryrene as they moved. With the mazelike, snaking pathways intersecting and splitting off, he realized he couldn't leave the acolyte to follow, and instead they walked together.

Between the haze that struck his senses and the winding caverns, the disadvantages were numerous. He found himself picking up the pace, hoping for something, some way out, anything-

They stumbled into a large chamber. How far were they from the surface? He couldn't sense his ship, yet some ethereal light poured from the ceiling.

"Woah." Aryrene walked forward to the chamber's centerpiece -- a vast painting of three figures, with numerous circular designs.

"Careful," he warned. His eyes wandered to the entrances of the chamber. There were many, but the lighting was good enough that he would be able to see any other visitors to the temple. The air here felt clearer, unlike whatever had been suffocating him earlier.

Yet, his attention was soon drawn to the painting as well. The central elder, what looked something like a human, a woman with flowing hair, a man dressed all-black. What were these? Aryrene bounced along, examining them all; Xeykard walked over, tracing his hand over the circle surrounding the woman. The pain in his hand seemed to lessen, if only for a moment.

 

[Rhiza Dural]

Spoiler: Equipment and links

Personal Equipment

• Red bladed dual phase light saber
• Electro-whip
• Riftblade
• Viper mk1 skinsuit
• Energy Bolas
• throwing shuriken
• Empyrean Gland

Starships

• Oubliette class transport
• HH-87 Starhopper
• Ballerina Interceptor mk ii

Tag: Xeykard

The Zygerrian Juror heard the footsteps of quarry moving ahead of her, she padded lightly, her feline physique and lightly dressed frame making her graceful and quiet, she thought she heard a voice, but the explorer must have been more distant than she assumed as echoes and reverberations took all clarity out of the quiet words. They were heading deeper and she was heading up, they would likely have crossed paths anyway regardless of whether they sensed each other. She padded further forward, closing her eyes and trying to feel the flow of the force, looking for clues as to the. She knew, not far ahead of her was an elevator shaft which led up the the higher, worked stone level. How would she get up there without alerting the target to her presense, the ancient winch creaked and groaned on the way down. But she needed to head up, there was a shrine room up there, a larger space she could use to sneak past if needed.

Reaching the bottom of the metal framed shaft, she opted to caredully freeclimb the forty or so metres up. If she did this well it was the quietest option. Using her jedi like agility, she climbed, making it half way up before disaster struck, was it a creature she spooked, a loose fixing or just the force playing games, but a piece of metal fell away from her, clattering against the metalwork before landing with a thud on the lower level. She froze, quickly pulling herself tight against the sheer wall in the shadow of the next support girder.

Focussing on her force stealth she held her breath and waited, hopeing not to be found in this horribly vulnerable position.

Spoiler: image of the sort of elevator shaft

just in case description wasn't any good. Rhiza is climbing inside something like this.

 

[Xeykard]

Rhiza Dural
​

Xeykard dropped into a combat stance, turning instantly to the sound. Something -- metal? -- had fallen down what appeared to be an elevator shaft on the far end of the room. He started slowly towards Aryrene, who was briefly frozen.

"You need to be quieter," he chastised. They'd been making so much noise running around the room, it'd given away their position.

"Whatever," they hissed.

He signaled with his hand. Under their breath, the acolyte whispered the incantation: "Dwomutsiqsa."

With some effort and concentration, smoke poured from their fingertips, forming some ethereal creature. The demon hummed with a deadly power, looking to the two Sith. A moment later it soared towards the elevator shaft and flew upwards.