Valik's Weekday Treasure Hunt: A Lab or his Tomb?

[Valik]

Tash-Taral. Lauded as a potential 'New Korriban' thousands of years ago, but it never quite caught on. A planet that seemed to carry the tombs and treasure of the Sith's B-List it never had extensive reason for mass excavations, until recently anyhow. Shipments worth of old weaponry, stuff like chainsaw sith-swords, stokhli-spary shooting rifles, and electro-magnetic mines had been popping up on the galactic market. Old Sith Empire tech, but stuff that hadn't been produced in years. Those who could connect the dots realized it was a stash of old tech made by the Sith Alchemist Warren Valik, and that he had many inventions that hadn't yet been claimed. Like say, his holocron, or the rumored anti-sith alchemy amulet.

While a fleet of warships with scavengers might have problem getting past the Silver Sanctum's fleet, freighters began to head for the planet en masse. A quick talk with the locals and a bribe of a water bottle would reveal that a sandstorm had revealed four passages to some new catacombs three clicks east of the Great Valley, a homage to the Valley of the Dark Lord. The locals would say the catacombs had claimed the lives of many Tashai scavenger, but each that came back came with a technology or artifact of far more value than anything seen in decades.

But of course, the Tashai were a simple people, neither as well equipped nor well trained as our presumptive hero(ine). Surely (s)he would make it through, with treasures worth his while.




OOC: I'll be playing around and giving away stuff Valik doesn't need anymore. Respect your other writers(and of course the Sithspawn within) and practice Wheaton's law. Y'all have fun out there.

 

[Micah Talith]

​

TASH TARAL
Great Valley

---

“Well… it can’t be that bad.” The muffled voice would sing with notable amusement at his companion. The subject in question being one rather ornery thing; sand.

“I mean, it does get everywhere, but nothing a sonic can’t fix!” the Talith added, eyes squinting under the tinted tee of his visor. Truth be told, it wasn’t just the sand in question. It was the heat. In his full leather gear along with the rest of those two ingredients meant one thing; a eau de cocktail of musky Talith manliness after a few days of baking under the sun.

Pity that a Defel’s nose was so sensitive at that!

Tash Taral had been a frequent dive for Micah and [member="Vexen"] . Their trips were generally to visit [member="Kaili Talith"] when she was in the Levantine Academy for those who like to.. Well fly. He’d collected quite a few interesting tidbits the last few times he was here, and had made friends with a few of the kids who were now grown up… and oddly enough, having kids of their own.

So weird.

There was word that there had been some rather curious catacombs in the Great Valley, and after filling up for a few days with local goat stew at the village, Micah was itching to go exploring.

Woe to anyone who got a bit too close. It has been a few days since his last sonic...

 

[Valik]

[member="Micah Talith"]

The overbearing odor of unfiltered manhood might have deterred his companions, but most citizens of Tash-Taral didn't have the resources to bathe regularly, or in much capacity at all. Water was too precious a resource, and sonic cleaning methods were too advanced to be found or maintained on the harsh desert world. In fact, one might say that some packs of Tuk'ata ate their fill by hunting newcomers by the smell of their soap. As he and his companions explored they'd find little trouble on the surface, til they spotted a hole in the sand. Perhaps a meter and a half in diameter it appeared to go three meters down before reaching a stone floor, a simple enough jump for an explorer. From a distance he might notice how nice the stone seemed, as if it had had been eroding for a few years rather than a few decades or millenia. From inside he'd notice a small swarm of K'lor'slugs, that might not notice him immediately if he was quiet enough on the way in. They were hungry though, and would probably notice him soon . . .

 

[Grace Darkson]

A small frown crossed Grace's face as she looked out the window. She hated desert worlds. Still, Darth Mephirium had abandoned them to the weakness of the Light, and she couldn't go back to Onderon without Tessa. What to do now?

Go back to searching for artifacts, books, holocrons, anything she could get her hands on. Knowledge was power, after all, and she needed more. One book from a dusty old tomb wouldn't do. So when the roomer reached her that a stash of Sith artifacts had been discovered, she didn't hesitate to trace them back. It had taken her a while, but she had gotten here. Tash-Taral. Somewhere here was the source of this new wave of old Sith tech. If she was lucky enough, or good enough, she may find knowledge.

Stepping slowly off the ship, almost immediately she could smell the locals. Low tech desert world. A sigh escaped her lips as she stepped down, pulling the scarf she wore over her face. She was dressed for the weather as best she had; a standard set of desert survival clothes. On her belt was most of her equipment: grappling guns, a blaster, some scientific instruments, and canisters of water. She figured the last one would be necessary.

The locals were agreeable enough, and one was even willing to lead her to the spot for one of her water canisters. As they began to approach, she noticed another explorer in the distance. Best to leave him alone. After all, there was more for them if they stayed apart.

 

[Mia Monroe]

It was becoming apparent that sith like to stash their goodies on desolate planets. Golden hair tucked tight into her scarf, that covered her face, her eyes hidden behind shaded googles, there was no skin exposed to the winds that kicked the granules up around them. She opted for local transport, a battered speeder bike taken from the local cesspit. Ducking low beneath its screen she pursed her lips at the rate sand was managing to filter into small gaps in her clothing. She had suffered worse than slight discomfort, but it didn't make her like it anymore.

Valid was a legend. Anaya Fen had spoken highly of him, and with the way her eyes crinkled she imagined there was something more there than simple respect. It had been him who had created Glamour for her mother, granting her the ability to mask her appearance. Her first witness of the jewellery at work she'd been fresh out of the tank. There were not many red, tattooed Twi'leks in the galaxy, let alone sith masters with her mothers reputation so the ability to change appearance had abbey a necessity.

There was far more that Valik was capable, such delights were filtering out of tash-taral but the equipment itself was not the greatest that Valik could do. It was the possibility of something far more rewarding that had earned her the right to explore. Under the care of [member="Cerita Sarova"], Calina was granted a little more freedom, provided she brought something of worth back to the alchemical master.

And she intended to do just that.

She kicked the bike down a gear as the valley drew near, swinging it in a wide arc as she reached the edge before silencing it completely. If there was anyone else here, they would have heard her and she had no doubt there would be more than herself seeking to seize an oppurtunity. She sat back in the seat casting her eyes into the great valley below, taking a moment to appreciate its scale.

Rising from the bike, she snatched her satchel from the side of the bike, hooping it over her shoulder and across her chest she began to descend the valley sides.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Valik]

[member="Grace Darkson"]

A Devaronian Tashai was more than happy to guide Grace to the site of the new catacombs. He didn't know who or what had made them, but did comment on the strangeness of it's technology. Most things found on Tash-Taral were old, very old, but many of these things weren't. He'd bring her to the site, a hole into the catacombs a couple kilometers north of Micah Talith and Vexen, but it looked at the same newly made stone. He'd warn of the Tuk'ata underneath, and offer more help as he showed her a raggity blaster made of loose junk that probably worked and a dagger that looked like it was made out of a sithspawn's tooth. It came of course with a price, a fraction of the spoils.

[member="Calina Ovmar"]

Calina's adventure would begin a bit more rockily than Grace or Micah, but she was a daring girl, and a descendant of a friend. If Valik was watching he'd say she could handle the Sand Burrower that her speederbike attracted. It'd chase her for a while, till she found an entrance to the catacombs underneath. Perhaps because the Sand Burrower nearby was a test all it's own Calina wouldn't find any trouble when she actually entered the tomb, instead finding a de-activated probe of a droid. Perhaps it had something useful in it's memory banks, perhaps it could help if activated, perhaps it was left there to lead scavengers astray. But what would Calina do, not knowing the risk or reward?

 

[Velok the Younger]

His father's journals, the few of them that Velok possessed, mentioned the name [member="Valik"] in a pleasing variety of contexts. The two of them had reforged the Darkstaff together -- after stealing its shards from a packed Tythonese Jedi Temple in pitched battle. Velok the Elder had been a decent alchemist, maker of any number of toys and monsters, but Valik had left him in the dust as a matter of course. Then there had been the Great Holocron Auction...

Suffice it to say, Velok the Elder had been favorably impressed with the Sith Empire's greatest creative mind. More than enough reason to hate the fether without so much as knowing his first name. More than enough reason to covet his creations, for purposes of destroying, you know, everything that asked for it.

Tash-Taral was deadly to reach, due to a dense Oort cloud. The trip had been hair-raising enough that his transport was currently being stripped for parts by Tashai opportunists. But he'd bartered his non-intervention for a speeder, some gas, some water, and directions.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Valik"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"]

The Calrissian-class freighter was not an especially speedy ship, neither was it armed with hundreds of guns and anti-guns, its armor wasn’t impenetrable nor did it possess a shield capacitor that could withstand a barrage of a fleet of destroyers. And yet I found it within his possessions- it came as a surprise to me, that a man like him would bother with a ship like this one.

At least until I sat down in the chair, the leviathan leather softening and cushioning the weight.

At least until I guided it out of the ‘yards and let it fly out there in the Galaxy. The moment the ship flew, the moment it glided through the ocean of space… I knew. Knew precisely why he chose exactly this ship as his.

Tash-Taral, he spoke of it and I had listened. A world populated by scavengers and scroungers and hunters, they were not kind to passersby.

Or so it was said.

It was a world of sand and dust and gallowing winds. I could feel it ripping at me, even with the layers of textile and light, padded leather covering most of the vital points. Given enough time it wouldn’t have surprised me, if the wind was capable of completely stripping one of his flesh.

Track marks, a speeder had recently passed by. His records tracked the movements, the shipments, he had been planning on exploring Taral himself, but that particular expedition was cut short.

Clearly.

The goggles were pushed down again and teeth were gritted, but nothing good came painlessly. There was always a price- this, too, the Ysanna had taught him in all those years.

 

[Valik]

[member="Velok the Younger"]

While Velok the Younger would have to find a new way back home, he'd find an easy way over to the catacombs where Valik's treasures had appeared. A ship and it's parts were beyond priceless for the industry-less Tashai, so they even gave him a bit more info out of gratitude. He'd learn there were four entrances, and if he took his speeder over to one of them he'd surely entice the attention of the Sand Burrowers famous on Blenjeel. He could meet with Calina, Micah, or Grace, or adventure on his own with that knowledge. The Tashai didn't know much else about what actually inside the catacombs, just that it got predictably more dangerous the deeper you went.

But Velok probably knew what that meant. All the best toys had the best guardians.

[member="Faustus Bereguson"]

The Ysanna following Calina would also entice the attention of a Blenjeel Sand Burrower. Hopefully he had a speeder or ran really fast, because trouble was coming . . .

(Sorry. You posted while I was posting)

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Valik"]

Micah gently tested the foundation around the hole. A few bits of sand and grit skittered down in a tiny cloud, but otherwise seemed stable.

Vex on the other hand, was not feeling to keen on the situation. The glower over at Micah’s directino told him enough.

“Oh, it will be fine!” he assured her, giving a slight side to side shake of his head.

“They are just…” crouching down low, his HUD got a few taps to see the skittering movement of the K’lor’slugs below.

“Ehh… like really big centipedes.” if he didn’t have his helm on, Vexen would be sure to have seen the roguish cant of a full mouth grin. Even through their Force bond, Micah could tell the Defel wasn’t buying it.

“Okay… big centipedes that can spit out acid… right. Come on, they aren’t as bad as the Taozin we went after last time!”

She still wasn’t amused. This was potentially acid on her fur they were talking about!

“Shadow up. We’ll need to see if we can get past them without them picking us up.” his gear had the ability to provide a bit of camouflage, and the Defel already had natural stealth capabilities. He activated those now.

Glancing around, he searched for a good place to set down the grappling hook. finding a suitable anchor point, he pulled out the grappling hook that had the sturdy retractable rope in a spun wheel. They’ll be able to slowly lowerthemselves down this way.

Testing the anchor, he gave the first bit a few tugs.

“Okay.. climb on my back.” he told her. With Vexen being still pretty small, she was able to latch onto the Talith’s back much like a child.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Vexen told him, as Micah clipped the rope on his belt and made way towards the edge of the hole. The response was just the sensation of mischief from the Talith.

“Hold on!” He told her through their earwig. It was all quiet communication then. The next second, the Talith swung down, and as quietly as possible, began to climb down.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Exile... It did not suit Ostanes one bit, and his self-imposed no more than one placed forcibly might have. But Obeah had reared his head and fought him for control more and more often recently. And so he had abandoned Dathomir and its' Witch Culture for the current, leaving the organization that had given him so much... The Ways of the Sith were the only ways he trusted that would guide him through this storm of insanity he had set course for. And if he could not destroy Obeah, then maybe he would find a way to subdue him, to alter their arrangement so that he was in control.

Rumors had begun to crop up, of Valik... The very first Sith that Ostanes had truly admired, after Rave had destroyed his mind. The first one who taught him the true principles of what it was to be Sith and send him on his bloody quest for knowledge, which was the only real power in the Galaxy in his mind. Perhaps he would have surpassed his current standings had his tutelage under the other Alchemist been a longer and more solid affair, but regardless he would follow up these rumors to the best of his ability. And so, he had gathered his best gear and left the R&D station and bodyguards behind, making the homage to the planet in plain white robes, a silvered mask hiding his face.

His information on Tash-Taral was enough, from Rave and other pieces of lore and notes. Now was the time he should truly begin to step out of their shadows and make his own legacy... And he had an idea how to do that. He had brought a few vornskr hides, hssiss venom, sarclaac neurotoxin and spores, and even a large canteen of the Dathomirian water of life, to offer to the Village as payment, along with showing them how to utilize the materials into their own crafting traditions. He was by no means an expert, but the trip here he had relied on his ascended tuk'ata guards to teach him the bits of their crafting and his notes... There was enough there to assimilate a rudimentary understanding of the ways of the locals...

At least, he hoped the gifts of water, tools he would help turn them into hunting weapons for the tribe and village, and the like were taken favorably...

[member="Valik"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

Four entries to the catacombs, and Velok just had to pick the one that had sandworms.

The Force provided precious little prescience on the matter. Danger sense, in Velok's experience, came down to detection of malice, and sandworms weren't malicious any more than the predators of Toola were. Hungry, sure, but acting on instinct. So he did what any experienced hunter would do: he stayed aware in case he was the one being hunted.

The sand shivered, and he went with his gut, leaping clear of his speeder an instant before it became a toothpick. The catacomb entrance was a crevice in a rocky promontory that jutted from the sand. Four bounding leaps took him there, each one a step on trembling sand. Inches ahead of teeth, teeth, and more teeth, he dove through the gap and into a tunnel.

AT WHICH POINT he collided with someone or something. Maybe a tuk'ata. Maybe [member="Silas Ovmar"], [member="Calina Ovmar"], [member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Ostanes"], [member="Micah Talith"]...

 

[Valik]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Micah and Vexen would get down without a hitch, no snapped grappling hooks or k'lor'slugs detecting them or anything. They'd continue down the hall, away from the two explorers. Micah and Vexen could follow, or head the otherway. It looked like there was a doorway far down, but who knew what was inside?

[member="Ostanes"] [member="Velok the Younger"]

The Tashai were appreciative of Ostanes's gifts, and his teaching. They'd tell him of the four entrances, common Sand Burrower hunting spots, and that stuff was more dangerous the more down you got. And they'd offer to rent him a speeder, or take a guide. Either way Ostanes would take a shortcut, before one large whiphid collided into his back at the beginning of the temple.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

One large whiphid hit with the approximate force of a speeding bullet so far as Ostanes was concerned. He had taken the speeder, and thanked them for the use of it and the offer of the Guide, explaining it in terms of a rite of passage of sorts, one that he would try to undertake alone. As [member="Velok the Younger"] collided into him, the Shi'ido hissed a bit in surprise. His human disguise shifted and dropped, the silver mask of Moridin skittering a few feet from him in the sand, revealing his Force Presence and more as it left him, and his natural and rather bizzare shi'ido appearance came about.

This was a form none alive, with the Death of Ember Rekali, knew he was native too. A few Witchmasters knew one of their own could shape-shift, but not who that one was in truth. Now some random treasure hunter knew, and Ostanes lay there dazed, fumbling for the words of a spell to guard himself and obliterate the fool who had surprised him.

[member="Valik"]

 

[Mia Monroe]

A rumbling beneath her feet made her pause, extending her senses below her, seeking the source of the disturbance as the sand began to shift beneath her. "Oh Feth." She muttered, she leapt aside, leaving the speeder bike up high. Loose rocks and sand skittered under foot as she scrambled down the valley side, she lost her footing and rolled, colliding with a rocky outcrop with a sharp gasp.

Climbing to her feet, she slid into the crevice leading to the catacombs, clutching her side and cursing. Out of the sun, she pulled her goggles down her face and let her hair free. Forcing herself to stand upright, she kneaded her side. A cracked rib, or three maybe.

Something large stood in front of her, dressed in scruffy robes and covered head to foot in fur. At least two heads, if not more taller than her.

She was pretty certain it was a whipid.

"Ummm.." Was about all the word she could muster.


[member="Velok the Younger"] @Valik@Faustus Bereguson [member="Ostanes"]

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Valik"] [member="Ostanes"] [member="Velok the Younger"] [member="Faustus Bereguson"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Grace Darkson"]


Light feet touched upon the ground, gently lowering the Defel so that she could find sweet ground for her to perch on. The growls and clicks of mandibles from the skittering K’lor’slugs were starting to fade, but that did not mean that they wouldn’t come back.

Whispering low into his mic, Micah’s amused voice murmured to Vexen.

“Want to follow them?” the scowl that was directed at his direction resulted in a half snicker. Okay! No dice on that.

Swinging his HUD around, the Talith took stock of the enviroment. The place was covered in sand, grit, and there was a healthy amount of sticky webbing and slime that covered the walls and floors. The thing about K’lor’slugs… is that they sure enjoyed keeping a nice warm and moist environment.

“Those were scouts.” he murmured. Which meant that if they went deeper...Odds are the more slime and goop meant that they could be close to an egg clutch. Which wouldn’t be the best thing to stumble upon. A rather ornery K’lor’slug Queen was not a fine way to spend some time with!

Huh, what was that? Some sort of door?

“Come on,” Micah told the Defel, chirping into her ear. Time to see what was behind door number one. Off in the distance he heard some rumbling. Either there were more slugs or there was something-- or someone-- else down here. High alert!

He knew that this wasn’t going to be easy. The deeper one went into a catacomb, the more likely it was to get some pretty unhealthy surprises. Camouflage could only do so much, and his was tech based. The Force scattering of his armor allowed his force signature to be thrown across the nine winds, but that didn’t mean that a skilled critter who was aiming to take a swing at his direction could be fooled for long.

Turning on nightvision, and with Vexen able to see in low light, both carefully began to make their way towards that dark corridor. What surprises would they find?

Depends on if any would be treasure seekers find their way ahead of him here!

 

[Valik]

[member="Ostanes"] [member="Calina Ovmar"] [member="Velok the Younger"]

The colliding collection of sith would have a little time to chat and figure out what was going on, but only so much time. Soon enough a Dreambeast, a sithspawn that took the image of the veiwer's greatest fears, would come to greet them. Behind the Dreambeast would be a set of stairs, letting the trio head to deeper catacombs below when they evaded or dealt with the threat.

[member="Micah Talith"]

Micah and Vexen would find a lab, strung about with various sets of notes on Flimsi. Most of them were on Sithspawn, though they were scattered and torn about. A particularly well-preserved one would contain an organization of notes about Sith Poison in differing forms. Most of the notes were on it's synthesis and weaponization, but a few scattered notes here and there would contain possible solutions for cures. It admittedly wasn't Valik's priority, but the notes were there. They'd also find a couple of sith amulets with some defensive properties. There was one other door out beside the slug-filled hallway they'd came from. It appeared to go to an empty hallway that lead to some stairs, but Vexen's ultraviolet vision would reveal some traps that the explorers should be wary of . . .

 

[Velok the Younger]

@Ostanes @Calina Ovmar [member="Valik"]

SMASH

Two impacts, two humanoids, though one smelled strange. As some kind of fallen metal thingy clanked on the cave floor, Velok scrambled to his feet and peered down at the two personages. One was probably considered extremely attractive by the humanoids: they had strange aesthetic tastes, with no consideration for a well-honed tusk or groomed fur.

The other was blonde.

The Dark Side of the Force swelled, someone preparing something vicious. At a guess, it wasn't the kind of thing Velok could match, but he didn't have to match it for power. He just had to do something that didn't require a power buildup. Something quick.

Like, say, a Force push.

Wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. Not enough to break bones, not enough to send the misshapen but doubtless hot person ragdolling down the cave tunnels. But enough to rock his head back and interrupt his power buildup? Ideally, yes. Same went for the thrown lightsabre that followed the push.

OOC: Velok is attacking Ostanes. Doesn't care if Calina catches the edges of it. Doesn't see the dreambeast yet.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

[member="Velok the Younger"] | [member="Valik"] | [member="Calina Ovmar"]

The response was expected, but quicker and with more Force. Ostanes had spent too long in the lab and his temple on Yavin. The Force push caused him to stumble, and seeing the lightsaber he let the push carry and rolled with it, skittering further along the ground. That was almost enough to break the build up, and almost he let it go, and the momentary surprise of seeing the dreambeast caught him, and he shouted out to call attention to the Dreambeast. Their own squabbles could wait, if that thing wasn't taken out of the equation none of them would get to the bottom of this exploration and benefit any. Mutual aid may serve as a wise policy until such a time he could rid himself of the others. The whiphid might be even better for his purposes, as his abilities in combat were lacking.

"If you wish anything, focus your ire on that thing, fool... It would do best to not latch to my minds' fears"

Never the less, he stood, gripping his hjarna stone staff as he rose, dark light pulsing in its' depths, and the Force colaescing around him in tendrils of black light and energy as he began to chant in Ancient Sith. Odojinya would hold the dreambeast in place, he hoped... Academic knowledge of creatures only went so far, and he readied a mental idea of a form swift enough to flee here to safety if need be. Ostanes was not sure what would happen if the thing tried to replicate Obeah, his own greatest fear. Maybe the Spirit he had bound would be able to use it as a conduit for transference. He'd rather not know though.

 

[Mia Monroe]

The cry from the Sith Lord drew the beasts attention toward him. Calina's palms were noticeably sweaty, and she gifted her lightsaber between the the whipid, Sith Lord and the beast. Calina had a great many fears, but none of them could really manifest in a person or a creature, less it was a warped version of herself, corrupt beyond recognition in the dark side...

She shook her head, clearing it before throwing her lightsaber end over end towards the beast, igniting it as it came with striking range. Regardless of what the other two did, she was getting past that thing and up the stairs.

[member="Ostanes"] [member="Velok the Younger"][member="Valik"]