Private Vampires and Machines

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

Success. Val had managed to procure a meeting with a sith, one which hopefully did not intend on destroying its host. It sent Evelyn Frost, naturally. The only one that had any business in the "force" that the sith dealt in. Just as the host once did, whose knowledge and abilities it now used for its own means. Unfortunately, as it understood, there were many missing pieces in its ability to use it. The host did not integrate sufficiently closely to permit the powermind to actually feel the force, only to use it through the more ritualistic means. Magic and witchcraft and sorcery. This was most dissapointing. As it meant it had more resources true, but it was missing out on all those precious experiences that meant so much to the powermind.

And so it arrived at the station, a neutral location chosen in the outer rim they decided on to meet at. This particular sith had an unusual habit in pirates it seemed, as she understood so far. And slavery. That was most peculiar. The powermind wandered if it's command of Evelyn Frost and Ruk would count as slavery too him. Then again perhaps it would simply avoid that problem, or claim that the host would die without it. And therefor was truly already dead anyway. It was not slavery, it was just piloting a corpse.

And so, it waited. Armed with a standard blaster at its hip. But more importantly it had the force, spells it could cast against its enemies. Disadvantaged by the need of using resources or words. But enough to matter. Or at least, it hoped so.

Tags: Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

It wasn't often that Darth Strosius ventured into the Outer Rim alone these days. Usually his excursions were focused on matters that required some help at the very least, whether it be the pruning or growing of an intelligence network or simply doing the usual hunt for pirates and slavers. There was simply rarely anything else that he had to attend to personally. This was one of those exceptions however.

One of his agents had sent out a call after having some meeting with an odd and curious individual, one that seemed to possess the Force and had an interest in contacting his cult. So of course Strosius was somewhat concerned. Jedi were always trouble and these days Sith could be just as dangerous if they discovered where his cult was based at.

Naturally it fell to him to handle this little issue then, or at least see if there was an issue at all.

So there he was, marching down the halls of some station floating in lawless space in search of a mysterious woman that had sought out his cult. He had forgone his usual robes in favor of more drab and common ones that lacked his usual Sith flair, best to keep a low profile when on such affairs. Soon enough the masked man stepped through the crowds and his gaze fell upon a woman that seemed to be waiting for someone.

She matched the description he had been given and was exactly where they had agreed to meet so he had no doubt that this was the inquisitive figure. "Greetings." Strosius spoke as he approached the woman, offering her a small nod in acknowledgment. "I'm told that you've been looking for me."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

Eve waited patiently, communicating to its other powermind in Ruk to keep itself busy with something. And then there was the arrival. Eve smiled, nodding her head then pausing, feigning the imitation of confusion before deciding to bow in an unfamiliar motion. If he had proficiency in detecting emotions and thoughts, he would find it's thoughts utterly empty, yet it's emotions alight with curiosity. Her voice was friendly and soft, "And greetings to you as well. I have, we have a kinship in our powers." she spoke, "I am Evelyn Frost, a sorceress. And I am most interested in what kind of partnership the two of us could conjure. I know things, but could know more. I can do things, but not for nothing."

As the being explained it stepped forwards to offer a hand in a more familiar greeting to her.

Tags: Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

Behind his mask he raised an eyebrow as she gave a little bow but chose not to mention it as she greeted him in return. Sorceress was quite a bold title to claim but Darth Strosius had seen enough tricks and rituals in his days to know that outright dismissing such a thing was unwise. Time would tell if this Evelyn Frost was indeed what she claimed to be. "Strosius. Darth Strosius, a Sith Lord and adept at the ancient rituals of my order."

He took the offered hand and shook it as if to formalize their greetings. "I am not usually one for partnerships but I have nevertheless come with an open mind." These days he could hardly afford to simply ignore or disregard such opportunities, especially when they could prove lucrative. "What sort of sorcery and practices do you make use of? Perhaps we could share methods."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

S

he again smiled at his introduction, and his inclusion of rituals. "Pleased to hear it." she answered on his open mind, then folding her hands together, a few whispered foreign words bringing forth an illusionary image of a rising bandaged corpse on her hand, another whisper to dissipate it, then replace it with her walking through a mistlike wall and vanish. As she depicted them she spoke between the whispers to change it "Rituals, preparatory methods. Illussions sent across a great distance, or to rise one from the dead. Words as focus of the magic, as opposed to ones emotion. Less need to harness in the heat of the moment and distract yourself. Sacrifice and ritual, to make up for when ones power is not enough."

The image switched again to her more visible, the illusion on her hand sending lightning from its hands after a word, another one turning the lightning into a force burst. She made a somewhat amused and guilty face, "I have learned many rituals, it's the raw connection to the force in which I struggle. To use it by will and feel alone. But I can always learn more knowledge. The witches of dathomir of old resemble most of my powers, but I lack the ichor. Other methods work in the meantime. And so, perhaps there is sith knowledge I can learn. And I share much of mine. They are not as fast as what you may be used to, but if you know when you may strike, or where you may be attacked. It may not need to be."



Tags: Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man watched the display of illusions and was idly reminded of some similar techniques that he had seen his master employ but that he had never bothered to learn himself. They simply weren't his preferred methods, he was far more practical in that regard. He could respect sensory manipulation however, even if he wasn't one to make usage of it. "I see, more complex sorcerous processes are your specialty then." Darth Strosius did rituals of his own of course but they were mostly modifications and alchemical enhancements rather than conjurings or anything of that sort.

He crossed his arms as she continued and explained what she was lacking, something that she must have hoped he could assist with. "I do know of some rituals and methods by which some powers and skills from the Force can be granted, as well a stronger connection. These enhancements do pale in comparison to learning such powers yourself, but they could help you grasp the raw connection you struggle with." They certainly made him feel far more connected to the Force at the very least.

"I do know a handful of other rituals that could of interest to you in this sharing a knowledge as well, albeit none of them are without cost. I'm sure your own knowledge of such things shares such drawbacks." Power rarely came for free, especially when it came to the rituals and practices of the Dark Side. "Thankfully most of the required components are relatively common...so long as one isn't squeamish."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

She nodded, "Yes, time and resources over emotion and intuition. It can do a great many things, but most of them just aren't as fast and immediate." she answered. Then listening as he explained, though the face would not reveal it. Val did worry what he could provide wouldn't completely remedy its problem of connection to the force. The host had a connection, though clearly had relied on the knowledge. But it was a big loss that that connection was only partially shared with the droid brain controlling it. Still, perhaps they could provide an avenue it could explore and test until that connection could be made. Or provide an alternative.

Eve smiled as he said the rituals he could share, with her share as well of course, had easy components for the un-squeamish, "I have quite the sturdy stomach for it I'm sure." she grinned, "But yes, the sharing of these knowledges, rituals or skills, is something I am here for. I know the sith have known much, but I have much to give in turn. Components are merely a part of the process, as with any practice. Emotion itself is a component afterall."

Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

"You make a fair point. Particularly with Sith practices, emotion does play a rather vital role in rituals both grand and common. A very integral component indeed." Focus and raw emotion, the two best ways to reach into the Force and draw from it for whatever purpose the wielder desired and could manage. More often than not with Sith rituals it was simply raw emotions and power mixed with just the right components and circumstances to establish the desired outcome though. In his experience at least.

"It sounds as though we have much to discuss then. Would you mind if we continued onto the finer details of our conversation in a more private venue?" The masked man spared a quick glance around and found nothing concerning. Thankfully when it came to the Outer Rim, most people minded their own business and knew better than to seek out trouble. There would always be those prying eyes and ears though, and Darth Strosius didn't want their scholarly chat interrupted just because some passerby overheard some of the more unsavory details of ritual crafting.

He wasn't fully certain of what sorts of additional components that Evelyn's knowledge would require but he knew that much of his own weren't to be discussed openly. Not if one valued their life and privacy anyway. "I do have some proper documents that I can access on my ship and transmit to you as well, if you would like more concrete lists for what rituals I know of. Both in terms of procedures and resources."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

Acknowledgement of emotions importance in sith. Of course, she knew that anyway. but still the confirmation of it in rituals was what mattered. This was a little frustrating but could be worked with, emotion could be used, even if Val couldn't feel the voice as it wished. Emotion was something it believed it could use.

"Of course not, best for both of us to do so." Eve agreed on the matter of moving things somewhere more private, "And that would be appreciated. I'll see what I can do in turn, though I will admit some of it will likely be deemed less useful to you as a sith. So I will attempt to prioritize those of greater rarity."

Darth Strosius


Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I find the acquirement of methods and knowledge to always be useful. They can reveal more abstract paths to outcomes that could be applied elsewhere." The Force hardly had any one guideline or manual on how to make use of its power after all. Especially when it came to Sith Alchemy and Sorcery, often times even discovering the teachings for a simple ritual could save days of trial and error. It was one of the reasons that he did so love finding and recovering old Sith libraries.

Darth Strosius spared a glance around the station before nodding towards the direction that he had came from. "The spaceport here has a little embassy of sorts attached to it. I've had meetings there before, plenty of small rooms with no questions asked about who rents them. Unless you'd prefer heading back to one of our ships, that would probably be the best place to talk business." It was used extensively for more discrete dealings so it should work just fine for their purposes.

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

"You never know what new information and techniques could change." she acknowledged with a grin, how true that was for Val. What difference in the ways this witch host could be used as opposed to the quarren. A warbeast or a ritualist were very different creatures, vulnerable or resilient to very different things. Yet perfect pieces to it's experience.

The host pretended a thought for a bit, Val already made it's decision. For now, it deemed, it was perhaps unsafe to board his ship. It did not suspect foul play, yet it still was cautious to lose this host. But if it took him to the hosts ship, it feared he might steal or attempt to overtake her by power and force the knowledge from her, then perhaps kill the host. It did not want that. Val believed it best to reserve such situations until it was sure he wanted this to be longer term. "A room for now would be good. Some of my information is quite physical in its storage, but running through lists would still be of use until we are prepared for any more in depth exchanges."

Darth Strosius


Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Indeed." Subtle modifications or alterations to existing recipes and processes could make all the difference when it came to rituals. Darth Strosius knew firsthand what minor changes could result in for even the most basic of alchemical compounds and enhancements, both good and bad. "Follow me then, it is not that far." A neutral setting was what they had agreed upon initially anyway so it only made sense to move from one neutral area to another. No real advantages to either party if some mishap or betrayal were to occur.

Given that she hadn't tried to kill him yet, he doubted that Evelyn Frost was the backstabbing kind. But one could never be sure. Without further ado he led the way forward, through the crowds and past the various kiosks and shops that vied for attention. Stations such as this one were always so lively and as such were the perfect concealment for those that didn't wish to stand out in a crowd. Soon enough they stood before the station's embassy and Darth Strosius walked inside.

Without pausing he tossed a credit chip onto the greeter's desk as he strode by it. "We're taking room five." He called back as the greeter pocketed the payment and tapped onto their console for a few moments to unlock said room. The initial greeting area, which served as both a lounge and a waiting room, led to a hallway filled with doors. Sure enough the fifth door slid open as the masked man neared it and he stepped inside without hesitation, being greeted by a stark and clinical looking room occupied by a holotable and a few chairs surrounding it. "Come in and have a seat, we shouldn't be bothered in here."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

Eve smiled again as they headed off, watching those around them almost like they were at some kind of zoo. Or like she was admiring foreign architecture. They moved on and Eve gave a passing wave and smile to the greeter as they entered. "Galaxy of the oblivious." she said very quietly an amused tone to it.

Val the powermind was most curious on a great many things, it also wandered how Eve might have handled this. If she even would have cared. From what it understood, she was more interested in her own rituals and their history than expanding that to the powers of the sith or the jedi. How would this sith have interacted with her then? Would he look down on her for her ignorance and lack of ambition? The sith liked that didn't they. This one was a quiet sith so far though, or...in person anyway. Still. If Val was a sith, it thought it would have looked down on her. None of these wonderings made it through to the hosts face, that construct of flesh output and input the powermind used.

"Thank you," she said adjusting her clothes as she sat down, and pulled a datapad already typing near absentmindedly in it as she spoke, "Rituals are certainly the easiest for me to learn, or other things that don't involve feeling out the force directly. So those would be a priority for me, but what about you?"

She then grinned and added jokingly, "Ah, and let me know if there's something I need to avoid saying to not get me killed."

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius let the door slide closed behind them as he took a seat across from her, his hands folding together on the table as he glanced at the datapad she had procured. Good to know she came prepared as well at least. "I don't think you'll have to worry about saying something wrong. Unless you mispronounce some incantation during a ritual of course." He shared in the light tone as he responded, having to fish a datapad from his cloak in return before they could get down to business properly.

"I'm fairly open to whatever you can provide. I have no real issue with rituals or with powers that require more personal methods myself." Learning more about those illusions that Evelyn showed off earlier was one potential prospect. He normally wasn't one for using such techniques but he could see where they could come in good use. "Perhaps those little tricks from before, that would be a good start I think." If nothing else then they'd be a fun thing to employ at social events that he really didn't care to attend.

He glanced down at his datapad and tapped on it until he found what he was looking for, a list of recipes. "I can also offer some relatively basic alchemical recipes that shouldn't be too taxing even with your lacking connections. The simple ability to use the Force will be enough." They were nothing special of course, given how cheap and limited they were in scope, but they were a good basic thing to start with. Enough practice with them could yield plenty of experience to use on more complicated and delicate rituals later.

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

"Well, I'll be sure not to use an accent."

She then hummed scrolling and typing and separating items on the datapad into categories and having to add in some information, humming especially on the "little tricks" from before. "There's a few ways to do those actually...some are projections onto a specific mind, onto anyones mind nearby, and some are manipulations of light. The projections are best for those who you don't care know it's an illussion, or you know you can get through to, as their mind can fill in the gaps easy enough. The actual warping of light, that's a bit trickier to make look real if you want it to." she began to explain especially setting information on such techniques aside for him, and the beginnings available for him to view, "Can accomplish it by ritual alone though if you do it right and send it almost anywhere, especially if you don't care how it interacts with the environment, looks perfectly like the real thing. But the right sensors or power/skill in the force need to either be accounted for or just accepted to fail against. Droids are especially irritating since they function different. What I did was mostly about incantation and specifically self projection and intent. I don't doubt you can pick that one up quickly whether it's believable or not on a larger scale right away."

Eve gladly agreed on some recipes, "I'll take it certainly. Expansion of the foundations may open avenues for what I already know as well." she rather looked like she was having fun with this. A cheerful smile and eagerness. This is because Val actually was having fun, this was a new experience! Sure it didn't have much new in the way of taste or sight or touch. But it was an interaction with a sith on positive grounds and the sharing of new information, a step onto greater avenues! The thoughts were of course utterly absent from Eve's organic mind as they were formed within the droid powermind, only the cheer it felt visible there. But it was real nevertheless. This was fun! And could bring even more!
Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius listened intently as she began her explanation, idly noting down some of what she said onto his datapad in order to better recall it later. Projections sounded as though they would be the most useful for his purposes, things that could distract and disorient, but being able to warp light would be an interesting challenge to take on. He could think up some more abstract potential applications in that regard, but he'd have to get a grasp of the technique first before any planning.

"Droids and Force Users are exceptions to many things, just something else to be wary of I suppose." It did make him wonder if he could one day manage an illusion that was somehow able to fool a Sith or Jedi that surpassed him in power though. Definitely something that he intended to look into at a later date. "Self projection does sound interesting as a first step." He noted it down before switching back to the recipes.

"By and large the most common and simplest recipes involve fairly minor modifications of existing materials. Making stone and metal more pliable and easier to work with, or harder and more resistant. Adding some degree of Force imbuement is also a common byproduct of these alchemical changes but nothing too surprising there." The masked man scrolled down on the datapad as he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Modifying substances would probably be of interest to you. Ingredients and concoctions can be made far more potent and effective. Bacta, poisons, even simple solvents can all be manipulated in a fairly similar manner just so that their outcomes and effects are enhanced." Such techniques were helpful when one needed to ration supplies or simply wanted to travel lighter but with a still effective assortment of concoctions. "The same goes for most drugs and stimulants, although I would recommend being careful with those. The enhancement can sometimes be a bit...drastic and volatile. I'm sure you can imagine how out of hand that can get, depending on what it is you're making more effective."

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

Eve yet again nodded in agreement on the exceptions. And that self projection would take an emphasis for him. It was practical as well, you never know when you needed to seem to be somewhere else. Whether as deception or as communication. It had many ways it could be applied.

She hummed in interest on his in turn, especially force imbuement, "That in particular is something I'd also like to know more about, I hear of sith alchemy and the more lasting changes that can be made upon something. I'm able to enchant which can be effective, but such things are not always permanent, and I worry the ones that may be could be lost if another force user knows the right trick or if it's unable to use the force for a time somehow. Some backup techniques could prove helpful."

He seemed to be quite on the right track for things that could be useful to her, the changing or enhancing of a substance. Oh, oh that had many potential uses for her. How much Val was eager to test out such methods. Though perhaps it would need a ginny pig, it did not wish to lose this host. "Yes, yes, these do seem very much worth learning. We at least have a proper starting place for each of us, illusions, especially self projection for you. And a sith style to alterations of substances and materials for me."

Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius nodded as she mentioned her worries regarding the failure of Sith Alchemy, worries that were admittedly fairly justified. "Specific powers and effects can indeed mess with alchemical enhancements. Something to be wary of for certain but such occurrences are thankfully rare, unless you find yourself battling powerful Jedi on a regular basis." Force nullification was the only time he had been subjected to such a problem, and only once.

"Still, I can see about some recipes that should work at some level of effectiveness even without Sith Alchemy working to its fullest." While he personally relied upon Sith Alchemy alone usually, there were plenty examples of more traditional alchemy that he knew of. They paled in comparison to the concoctions empowered by the Force of course, but they would work in a pinch nonetheless. The masked man added a few more potential recipes onto his short list that he had compiled thus far as Evelyn spoke up again and drew his gaze away from the datapad.

"A good start yes. Basics but with potential for us both to grow to greater results in our respective fields after mastering said basics." A fair summary, but now they had more serious matters to discuss. "I do wonder what sort of advanced rituals that we could offer one another though. Sith Alchemy has plenty of potential, but it is far from the only specialty that rituals play into. Do you happen to possess any sort of relics or artifacts that you can use with the Force? Even just as a focus?"

Val

 

[Val]

Evelyn Frost

"I suppose they are." It was a shame it was a risk at all. But he was right, such a situation was not likely. That said, he was a trained warrior. This body was healthy, and Val was intelligent, but it was such a leap below Ruk that it felt weak without it's powers. If it lost access to them, it feared the loss of the host.

She smiled as he said he'd look for ones that might maintain some effectiveness, "I appreciate that, thank you." she aknowledged.

"Not on me. I'd avoided them in the past, leaning more on knowledge and preparation for any particular ritual. It also avoids letting anyone else end up having access to them if I only use temporary methods. But I know some things on how to make kinds of them, or strengthen what something already offers. I've come to a change in that belief." That wasn't true of course, the real Evelyn had. Believing that the wielder should not lend their power to others permanently. At least personally. But Val of course cared nothing for such belief's. Val only hadn't made anything yet, distracted somewhat. But it planned to eventually, especially as that would take some effort out of having to actively use the force. "Crystals are useful, as would knowing how to bathe something in a nexus in the force the right way. That one is a bit more on the difficult side. It's more theory than practice, I've never done that yet. Most focus's are more to focus a specific set of rituals or ability. At least that I know how to make, as opposed to broad power. For that I'd likely focus on just gaining the right crystal."

Darth Strosius

Ship:
YV-87 Star Courier

 

[Darth Strosius]

"You'd be surprised how effective they can be, and resistant to external factors if attuned correctly." He could definitely understand the need to travel light and use more abstract methods, far easier to conceal ingredients and materials that way. If one were having their belongings searched then a few salts and bottles were far less suspicious than some ornate tablet or amulet after all. Depending on one's expertise and the artifact in question, the difference in power or ability may not even be relevant.

"Crystals are fairly typical foci for sure. I find they can fit a wide variety of uses if you know how to enhance and treat them correctly." Darth Strosius idly added another couple items onto the list as he spoke. There were indeed very specific crystals that were in high demand due to their power and capabilities, Kyber being once such variety, but if one was clever enough then much could still be done with the more standard types. "As for using the powers of a Nexus, that depends entirely on whichever one you are attempting to make use of."

For obvious reasons he only had experience with a handful of those that radiated the Dark Side, and even then his experience with actually making use of them was fairly limited. All too often they were occupied by those that he didn't have the best relations with. "Some can have specific areas where they're strongest, others have a bit of...personality shall we say and may act in odd ways. In general they strengthen whatever rituals are performed upon them though."

Val