Ask Belsavis More Darkness Rising: Alchemy

[Cerberus]

Ever since Cerberus got his hands on the Qo iv Lord: Alchemija, an ancient Sith tome, he'd both been driven crazy and thrilled about the discovery. The tome still whispered to him whenever he was nearby. Sweet, darkly whispers in the ancient tongue, seemingly so far away that he could not understand the words they spoke. What he could understand, at least he thought, was what it wanted at times.

The first thing he understood about the tome was its anger and desire. It seemed like didn't like to be touched by anyone or anything other than a Darksider, and if Cerberus was correct, it also desired to stay with him. That last desire Cerberus was unable to handle, at least currently. The incessant whispers were distracting and sometimes overwhelming if he let himself get to that point. They always wanted him to sleep and he worried they wanted to show him visions, of which he'd need to carefully tread through.

Even though he hadn’t experienced Sith Visions before, he read how dangerous they could be.

Earlier, during his visit to Korriban, he met a Sith woman who seemed interested in offering him assistance. He decided to take her up on it and meet her on Belsavis to explore this tome, but not at her headquarters where she could set up some sort of trap for him. Instead, Cerberus offered to meet her deep in an old temple, not created by the Sith but still marred by the Dark Side.

Once again he chose to wear his armour without its helmet and with his hood pulled up over his head. He sat cross legged, deep within the centre of the dilapidated temple, focusing his crimson eyes on the tome, studying it. Though he kept his senses out for the arrival of his new acquaintance. Part of him wondered if she would also be able to hear the tomes whispers, or feel the depths of the darkness that resided in every inch this item.

@Darasuum

 

[Serene]

Serene had studied many subjects in her search for power. It had led her to many disturbing discoveries and allowed her to draw troubling conclusions. The sorceress had learned of a ring that was rumored to cause great trouble for anyone not willing to wear it and this was similarly true for many other dark side artifacts which made her very cautious in her experiments. It was often the mistake of many naive Sith to let power rule them rather than the other way around.

Since Korriban the woman had returned to Belsavis to resume her work. But she had made time to meet with a new source of knowledge, one she had crossed paths with back on the Sith heartworld. The meeting destination was far from Castle Gaol but the world of Belsavis had unique interwoven series of leylines that ran beneath the surface of the planet. What was more, the planet had become home to many dark siders over the ages which led to many pockets steeped in the Bogan. It was one such pocket that Serene approached.

Deucalians still were frequently found on the surface of Belsavis which led the Sorceress to wonder who had created the temple she strode through. On her heels was her ever-present feline protocol droid, Rupert. The rest of her Coven of Shadows were busy with their own work. Serene coveted both the potential knowledge for herself and wanted to keep her acolytes from sinking their metaphorical claws into Cerberus. In time she would disseminate the relevant information to them as she deemed fit.

The feeling that Serene had felt on Korriban was there, waiting for her. The closer she drew to the man she was here to meet the stronger the sensation grew. Since she had come relatively alone, she wore her personal armor both for pragmatic protection and to deal with the cold weather outside. As she came within view of the cross legged young man Serene reached up and pushed the dark winter hood from the top of her helm. She then released the seal and removed the protective armor from her head and held it under one arm.

This place was new to her but she felt that minus Rupert, the two Champions were not alone. Whether it was the spirits that waited on the other side of the veil, or the nature of the architecture or maybe the artifact in Cerberus's possession, she did not know. But it was not something she was completely unfamiliar with. That being said, she was going to be very cautious.

@Dread

 

[Cerberus]

Cerberus' crimson eyes turned towards his guests when they entered. He found himself frowning slightly, despite being appreciative of the woman arriving. He stood up with the tome in hand and spoke, "I invited you, Serene, not your feline" coldly.

Without looking back to see her reaction, he took a few steps then stopped in front of a nearby alter. The alter, too, was steeped in the Dark Side; it looked like a medium sized table, enough to fit at least a six foot five tall humanoid if he or she was laying down. Clearly the alter was made of some sort of dark rock, dotted by unknown stains both large and small mostly on the top of it.

"I do appreciate you coming, but you're risking damage to your feline while we study this," he admitted feely, holding up the book briefly to wave it once. Hopefully, she got the message. Even though it had behaved itself so far, the two Sith were about to experiment on it, which could reveal it to be a completely different monster. It was obviously hostile towards anything but darksiders; it might even be hostile towards other darksiders.

The young halfbreed placed the tome, open, on the alter for Serene to see if she approached. Although, unbeknownst to him, since she could not hear the whispers she would not be able to see the words written in it. "This is the Qo iv Lord: Alchemija," the title of the book fell from his mouth in a near-perfect Sith accent, as he had been raised with the language, "and as you may be able to tell from the sense of it, it is a very old tome. I found it in a crime lord's collection a few days ago, and since then I have been able to hear it speaking to me. I think it wants to show me something. Have you heard of it, or seen anything like this before?" he asked to gauge the woman's knowledge on the subject and her opinon.

@Darasuum

 

[Serene]

Serene's eyes turned away from Cerberus and looked down at her pet. The C4T droid looked up at her expectantly, waiting to be addressed by its owner. It had been her choice to bring Rupert in case there was translation needed but the tiny quadruped's presence was not necessary. The sorceress knew the ancient Sith tongue and several other 'dead' languages. The way the male champion had spoken made her wonder why he wanted the two of them to be alone.

The sorceress did not have to wait long as the young man hinted at concern for Rupert's wellbeing, or threatened it depending on the interpretation. She did not care about the risk of the droid being damaged. He had been put through quite a lot already though the droid's memory wipes had prevented him from being able to recall any of it. The pet was disposable as far as Serene was concerned. She only feigned compassion towards it.

Serene's eyes were drawn to the tome, fixating on one of the reasons she had come. Without looking back down at her pet she gave it an order. "Rupert darling, head back to the ship and wait there for me." She spoke coolly like a matron to her child. The red eyed man was right in only inviting Serene here and she wished to start off their connection right. Furthermore, the witch did not want any interruptions or uncontrollable factors that might hinder her experiments. The droid, while not a living being, might have a potential of causing undesirable side effects. The four legged protocol droid bowed its head intelligently and then slunk back through the temple from whence it came.

Once Cerberus had placed the book down and Rupert had left did she resume her approach. She approached the alter with steady caution, feeling the darkness from the table like surface, the book that lay upon it and the man beside it all radiated a feeling of power, a sensation of the Bogan.

Serene was impressed both with the red eyed man's knowledge, his pronunciation of the tome, and the sheer fact that he possessed it. She gathered bits of information as he presented it to her, analyzing the nature of the artifact and the potential it held. She saw that it was not divulging any of its secrets to her though as she stared at the blank pages and heard nothing.

"I've been seeking the secrets of Sith Alchemy for some time. Sorzus Syn was an ancient dark sider who perfected the art from what I've gathered but her teachings are difficult to track down, let alone make sense of." Many people, like the Jedi, would seek to eradicate such things so they could not be used to against them. Other dark siders coveted their knowledge and wished to monopolize it which made things even more difficult. Then there were the authors of such things that for a variety of reasons hid their wealth of knowledge with codes, enchantments and other defenses. Many of those obstacles had already been overcome by the fact that the champion was standing in front of the Qo iv Lord: Alchemija here and now. But it seemed that its secrets still eluded her despite being almost in hand.

"You should be careful with what it offers. You might ask it one question and it will give you several answers, each of them terrible and terrifying to behold." She paused and looked away from the book towards Cerberus with an analytical gaze. "Tell me Red Eyes, have you heard of the Cult of the Black Order, or Ovas'Goth Ren?" She was willing to tell him the cautionary tale if he had not. It seemed pertinent to their current interests. She still did not know the hybrid's identity. But it was not something that particularly bothered her. If he wanted to give her a name he was welcome to volunteer it.

@Dread

 

[Cerberus]

Cerberus listened to the other Sith send her feline droid away. His intentions for wanting her to do so were multifaceted-- it wasn't all about the damage it could endure--but his unsaid intentions were no threat to the woman as long as she did not pose a threat to him.

"I've studied what history I could find of Sorzus Syn, among others skilled in the art like Darth Raze. Unfortunately, I'm still unsure who this belonged to," Ceberus answered with a nod, acknowledging the woman's comment and knowledge. Maybe she was the right one to ask about this. However, her reaction to the tome did not go without him noticing; she did not mention hearing whispers, react to them, or even comment on the page that was open.

For now, he moved past that and nodded another time, though he paused for a handful of heartbeats when he heard her nickname for him. Red Eyes. Not exactly his favourite since it pointed out his most hybrid looking feature, but nonetheless it worked for now. "Yes, at least from what I read the Black Order is written as a cautionary tale," he said after she finished talking. He understood she was wary of the tome, and so was he, but no matter what they chose today, perhaps even just walking away, they might be putting their safety at risk. “I'm aware most relics like this will come with danger.”

The young halfbreed ran a finger over one of the alchemical drawings in the tome of a creature's twisting, changing brain, its outlined face grimacing in pain. The dark whispers increased while he made contact with the paper, and if Serene looked closely, she might be able to see wisps of darkness trying to claw their way up his arm until he pulled it away, frowing slightly. "I plan to meditate with it regardless. I think through a clearer, deeper connection to it I can get a better understanding of what it's asking for and gauge if it's worth obliging it or not. There might be worthwhile hidden knoweldge," he paued a moment to tap his fingers on the alter, "I realise this is risky, but I want you to join me in meditation. The two of us will be stronger than one, not to mention having two minds to analyze it will be to our advantage," he said frankly, his crimson eyes turning back to Serene. She wouldn't see fear in his eyes, only his stoic look. "Do you think you can handle it?" he asked bluntly, and slightly rose his right eyebrow, watching her.

@Darasuum

 

[Serene]

The man definitely held the sorceress's attention at the mention of Darth Raze. The Wraith's abominations were the primary cause for Serene's interest in Sith Alchemy. But there was also rumors that Darth Arcanos had skill in the same field. He had been able to create interesting artifacts which he gifted his lovers. The effects of these items she had witnessed first hand. Serene had collected multiple samples of a strain of abominations, the exalted, which had helped make leaps and bounds in her studies but still there were gaps in her information. A direct source of information was highly valued.

"It seems to want to keep its secrets from me. I see nothing on these pages." She admitted freely. It was la blessing in disguise which might spare her from the dangers that this other champion could be subjected to. But that could change if it began to whisper to her. Serene had a fortified mind and spirit to prevent manipulation as well as keep her privacy intact at all times.

The red eyed teenager was knowledgeable indeed. Serene did not need to give him the story of Ovas'goth or his followers. That would make this interaction much easier. He also seemed to be sensibly cautious which Serene found favorable.

The witch was adept, masterful even when it came to the manipulations of shadows. The very essence of the dark side itself was her specialty above all else. The faint whisps of black that leeched off of the page drew her eye as the first sign of something being visible coming from the book and caused her to raise one eyebrow curiously.

Serene looked away from the tome again as her peer mentioned meditation, her expression returning to normal. She had spent a great deal of time enhancing her abilities to meditate in her private shipboard mediations rather than seek proper sleep. This helped her use more of her waking hours on her work and also helped her hone in on her other interests that were lightyears apart. She normally only meditated with others that were members of her Coven of Shadows, using cooperative techniques that helped fuel one another so it was not something entirely new to her. In fact she had a knack for it. But Serene was still cautious towards this new man.

The sorceress gave it some thought, choosing to not answer immediately as she weighed her options. Finally she replied with a voice of confidence that spoke to her abilities. "Certainly. But I should warn you not to delve too deeply into my own mind. It may be just as dangerous as this tome. In turn I will respect your privacy as well." Serene had secrets in her past that she wanted to remain a mystery. The less others knew about her the better. She assumed that he felt similarly considering how little she knew of him. While she was willing to cooperate with this stranger, Serene did not wholly trust him. This could be an elaborate ploy or even opportunistic opportunity to eliminate her.

@Dread

 

[Cerberus]

Cerberus paid little attention to the woman's pause while she thought through the idea. He was willing to find someone else if she said no, considering he did not know this woman well.

When she ended up agreeing, he answered with a nod, "I have no interest in invading your privacy. I'm here for myself and to study the artifact only," plainly and truthfully. If Serene was sensitive to such things, she'd sense the truth in his words.

The young halfbreed took his tome off the altar and walked into the middle of the large room they were in. He decided to stop between the broken seats in the aisle and sat crossed legged again. He'd wait for Serene to join him before he placed the tome in between them.

He'd close his eyes at the same time she did and begin to meditate with her, if she followed through with the agreement and didn't back out last minute. His focus was on the tome and Serene. Since she could not hear the tome, and it didn't seem to favour her at all, she'd have to rely on his connection to it which might make things more tricky.

Slowly, if they were able to connect to one another through meditation, Cerberus began to see the outside world melting away in his mind. In his mind everything around was warping and became darker and darker until he heard the familiar sound of boots hitting a shallow body of water.

He looked down; he was standing in a puddle, then he looked to the side of him to see Serene, only to look beyond her into the city they were surrounded with. He could see lights in the towering apartment buildings and shops, speeders parked on the sides of the roads, food stands with steaming hot meals, but there was no sound except the humming of the lamps on the streets, the wind and other white noises. No sound of life besides himself and Serene, not yet.

And the unmistakable sense of everything bathed deeply in the Dark Side.

"Hello?" Cerberus asked, his voice echoing throughout the dream in an unnatural way.


"Zudyti Tave Orto"

"Zudyti Tave Orto"​

"Zudyti Tave Orto"​

Cerberus lifted his head somewhat when he heard the repeating voices. They were the same whispers he heard before, just clearer. His crimson eyes moved around the area to see if he could spot anyone while he answered, "No," plainly, "She's helping me."

@Darasuum

 

[Serene]

Serene studied the man but detected no deception. She was satisfied with his answer and so would nod in acceptance. The witch stood by the altar for a moment longer but would follow the red-eyed man to the center of the room a moment later.

Together she began to meditate with her fellow Sith Champion in the same manner he did. Serene knew a great deal including the power of a pair. But more than that, there was strength and stability in threes. Afterall, the strongest shape was a triangle. It was why so much of Sith architecture used hard pointed angles, pyramids and why the Nightsisters of Dathomir chanted in threes. With this in mind Serene, her partner and the tome became a sort of triumvirate. The power of the Dark Side flowed between the three of them.

She could feel the capability of the half-breed across from her. Serene connected to him but did not delve deep into his mind, as she had promised. The essence of tome became more sensational as well. It may have been because of the shared connection with the red-eyed champion but it could also be due to the direct focusing on the book of alchemical knowledge.

It was only when Serene fully entered her meditative state that the forgotten temple surrounding them was replaced with a new environment. This was not an illusion, not like mind tricks or false projections in the traditional sense. This felt like an inner world, or an alternate dimension altogether. It was unlike any place Serene had visited before but she was not afraid. If anything, she was excited but still wary.

On all sides there was a city but it was devoid of any living beings. It was a ghost town, a necropolis that seemed a facsimile of activity. Power still ran through what appeared to be an energy grid with street lights and signs, buildings and structures lit up but no people among them save for her and the man she had meditated with.

Serene looked around, searching for any signs of activity and looking past her partner as he called out. His voice seemed muffled slightly, like he was talking to from several rows down of library books . But she could still make out his curious call for an answer. Serene on the other hand remained silent and alert. Regardless of her sealed lips soon an echoing, sourceless voice overlay in numerous tones and inflections reached her ears and her's alone, at least as far as she could tell.

Vartoti Tave Sunus​

Vartoti Tave Sunus

Vartoti Tave Sunus
​

Serene's golden eyes shift to the red-eyed champion, briefly wondering if he was the cause of it. But she surmised it was more likely that these voices came from the tome. There was no clear sign of any other entity making themselves known. The sorceress mentally said her answer but her representative body still spoke. "I refuse."

It was not an answer she gave lightly. There was a hunger there seated deep within her she tried to hide at all times. A desire to claim the power for herself but Serene was in control of it. The sorceress would not simply feed when it was convenient. The temptation was not great enough and she was too strong willed to accept it.

Still, the muffled voice of the mysterious man that shared in the meditation reached her ears. It sounded like he was also hearing voices. But she had no idea what they were asking of him.

@Dread

 

[Cerberus]

Cerberus heard Serene talk, though it was hard to understand what she said. It was possible their connection was not strong, or wherever they were was causing trouble with it.

Either way, he chose to walk forward into the lifeless city. Once he started to walk he saw a shadow figure in his left eye's peripheral vision. Cerberus's head eye's snapped left, towards the figure right away. There was a pure black shadow figure standing there. This figure looked like it might be wearing robes and holding an ignited lightsaber, however even the lightsaber was merely a black shadow.

"Who are-" the halfbreed Sith began to speak, only to be caught off guard by another similar shadow figure, yet taller and of a different stature. Then another similar black figure appeared in front of them, then another behind them, then two more to both their sides.

While Cerberus knew his real physical form was not here, he grabbed his... illusionary(?) lightsaber hilt from his belt, igniting it. His red blade snap-hissed to life, the sound echoing abnormally just like his and Serene's voice. Before Cerberus managed to speak to the shadow figures, they all pointed down the road, north, in front of Cerberus and Serene.

A large, demonic, dragon looking creature appeared as if it came from a portal from another dimension, lifting its head up just as its feet hit and rumbled across the street, to let out a mighty roar that could cause a regular person to see stars from the shock of the sound waves. Cerberus flinched hearing the sound, yet stayed in place, ready to face whatever he needed to make it through this... trial?

@Darasuum

 

[Serene]

​

This was a joint ceremony. A paired ritual combined with an artifact of uncertain potential. These facts remained ever present in Serene's mind even as she delved deeper into this alternate dimension. The sorceress approached her partner to keep a symbolic close proximity with them the same way she was in the physical world. This was a joint effort and she did not believe she could get what she wanted alone.

Seven, Serene counted seven shadowy figures appearing around the two of them. Her mind already was trying to piece together who these mysterious beings were. It was hard to tell if their focus was primarily on the red-eyed man or the two of them together. But the sorceress knew that such details would only be guessed at with the aid of hindsight. For now the two of them would have to progress onward.

A dragon was the most startling appearance. Serene could not have expected such a creature appearing here but it spoke volumes about the depth they were immersed in. Reflexively she defended herself, and the man near her in a barrier that would mitigate some of the draconic roar. Her hands flicked and twisted into a series of signs that would enforce the spell. Serene was not entirely sure the act was necessary but she was cautious, not wanting to lose her primary connection to the tome.

She was not keen on fighting a dragon but Serene was ready to if that was the case. However, something told her there was more to that. The draconic creature had not attacked them and was simply powerful. Then it spoke in a rumbling voice that felt like the loudest of concert speakers. The depths of the creature's voice resonated in Serene's. Her partner would be able to sense the words spoken to the two of them.

"You are seekers of secrets, descendants. The knowledge before you is power, given not freely. What is it you hunt?"

Serene interpreted the words as a direction question, though the dragon had a peculiar way of talking. Hopefully it was not tryint some sort of riddle and expecting an answer of that kind. The sorceress took this as a chance to announce what it is she sought. "Understanding of creation. I wish to know how to create Sith war beasts, abominations, the exalted and more." There was a good chance that some of that information was beyond the book's knowledge. But this shadow dragon would know her intent to be truthful and have an idea of what she desired. If not the specific information it would try to provide the next best thing.

"Observe."

The dragon lowered its head as its eyes gleamed with unnatural focus. The creature raised a clawed hand and caused a series of shadows to rise from the ground between them. These pieces of darkness took shape and formed into a dark hologram representation of a life sized lab. There was a pale woman standing in the center with close cropped hair going about her business and did not seem to notice anything going on outside of the illusion. They had a book identical to the one with the champions in the real world sitting nearby. The images created out of shadow carried on like a three dimensional holo-flick. The scene changed from a lab to among animal pens and later to wilderness. But the woman was always carrying the book or had it nearby. There were instances of interactions with beasts and diagrams. Serene felt like she was watching but also experiencing the events through the pale alchemist's in a strange dual perspective.

@Dread

 

[Cerberus]

A barrier appeared in front of him and Senere. Cerberus only sensed it coming from Serene instead of seeing her movement as she casted it, choosing to keep his focus on the dragon and whatever came next. Only that... what came next surprised him further. The demonic dragon spoke to them. Each word the young Sith paid close attention to, and he wondered what it meant by, "given not freely".

Serene on the other hand answered right away with a question. Which, from what he could understand from it, Cerberus did not mind. Soon a spectacle unlike anything he'd seen before materialised in front of them. A lab, a woman holding the tome. Parts of her life and work began to pass by, stopping and starting at certain points.

It was unlikely that the sorceress, Serene, was looking at anything but the scene before them, but if she did she'd see Cerberus become, slowly, more and more disturbed looking. What he felt made his pupils dilate naturally, his heart began to race and as a result, the sound of blood rushing through his ears washed out everything for a period of time.

"Why does it...." Cerberus spoke finally, raising his hands up to stare at them, "Why does it feel like when she's using the Force, so am I?" he looked up again, back at the scene in front of them.

His crimson eyes fixated on the woman figure while she was drawing on the Force, shaping a creature. "Who are you?" he asked. No answer. "WHO ARE YOU?!" Cerberus growled this time, finally losing his temper because something was happening to him.

Cerberus bolted forward, towards the woman. It was extremely surprising to him when the woman's image turned around and walked right into him, disappearing as the two made contact. Right then, five of the shadow figures from before appeared in a circle around Cerberus. All at the same time they reached out with both their hands; from their hands an inky darkness slithered through the air and made contact with Cerberus. Everything happened so quickly that he coul do nothing but scream in reaction from the sudden pain of it all, "GRAAHHHH!"

Even outside of it, Cerberus' physical body writhed in pain. Unlike what he was seeing, his physical body was writhing for a different reason. The darkness was slithering from the tome and it was already wrapped around his body.

Nearly simultaneously, the last two shadow figures of the seven appeared in front of Serene, attempting to block her from Cerberus. Both figures were poised for combat with their single bladed lightsabers, very clearly looking at Serene. Though the two figures did not aggressively move towards Serene right away, they obviously appeared ready to attack her if she tried to interrupt what was happening to him.

@Darasuum