Becoming lost, is the first step in finding your true self. {Jedi Trials -Come investigate)

[Dark child]

Lothal
Sothern Hemisphere

Bal Harün Maze

Of all things, the gravity was most noticeable here.

Quite unlike anywhere else on the planet itself, the maze generated it's own field of energy. It expanded outward and could be felt by all. Though feelings which those it affected varied greatly. Ask any individual and you would receive a different answer.

To some, it felt as though great weight had been placed upon their shoulders, every step, though not truly physically exhausting, could be mentally tiring. Still, others described it as making them feel light, almost too much so, fear of drifting off the ground made them take slow, cautious steps rather than giant leaps.

Many a time the Jedi had described it as the burden on the individual's shoulders once they entered Bal Harün. That it was that of past deeds or shortcomings that made Jedi who entered here feel this way.

The truth, in fact, was far from that. It was not based upon what the individual had done in the past at all, as the Jedi way is not to dwell. Rather, it was how the individual felt at their time of visiting the maze.

One of great confidence and arrogance might feel light as a feather, that he could conquer anything, and that the maze was just a simple challenge, when in fact he should instead have found his roots on the ground, and would come to realize that the maze would not allow passage without humility.

Still, others would feel light due to their insecurity. That they were not good enough to be part of the Army of Light. That the were too insignificant to make a difference. That no matter what they did, it would not amount to enough. The maze would show them that it is not a horrible thing to have your feet off the ground, that once you have reached great heights, and hold oneself in high and honest regard, the truth is much easier to see.

Then, there were those that were consumed by thoughts and feelings of the soul. What the should have done in their pasts, or what they should have stopped themselves from doing. These individuals felt as though Bal Harün wanted to crush them, each step they took where they continued to hold on to these feelings would grow more difficult, and in this way the maze would force them to let go of the past and see things for what they are. That only by acceptance can a Jedi call himself one with the force. Only with a calm mind, and a soothed soul could a Jedi spread peace.

These very same feelings would be spreading to the transports bringing in Jedi for the tournament at this vary moment. Some would undoubtedly try to accept them, others would fight them, and others still would be unsure of what the gravity was and let it run rampant within their mind.

Time would pass, and the Jedi would realize the gravity was simply a trick of the mind, that they were all equally effected in the same way, no different than the rest of the planet. For now however, and for most, the entire series of trials, it would effect all in the ways above.

The transports carrying the jedi would land on the outer ring of the platform and instruct them to journey across the kilometer wide space to the spire which sat in the very center. To get to said spire they had to cross the constantly shifting, seemingly random series of rings that made up a great portion of the distance between the edge of the platform to the spire's twelve entryways.

Some of these rings had great gaps of more than ten meters between them, the distance of which was liable to change at any given moment, giving participants the illusion that they could fall to their deaths if they miscalculated a movement. This was untrue, but none of them would come to find out unless a Jedi falls through the cracks.

In addition to the great distances to cross, some of these rings were also quite high. The shortest being the height of an average human and the tallest nearly four times that.

The tournament is far from beginning, but all Jedi have been told to get to the spire as fast as possible, and that if they are late, they may be penalized.

High above, rocks shift in a constant orbit around all that is Bal Harün resembling that of an asteroid belt around a planet. One that is constantly on the move, gyrating overhead of the entire platform.

The contest awaits... How will your Jedi react?


OOC Thread Information Link​

 

[Ulysses]

As the shuttle approached its landing, Al-Ric felt the weight of expectation pressing down on him. He had not long been a knight but he counted it an honour to be selected for the upcoming trials. He knew nothing of what was ahead of him and was only recently arrived on Lothal.

He played out the various scenarios he could anticipate in his head, even though he knew that the likelihood of him guessing precisely what was to come was very slim. As he was thinking, he periodically felt out with his mind for his lightsaber on his belt. He knew he hadn't forgotten it, but today was definitely not the day to have left it anywhere. It was during one of his mental rehearsals - in this version he was rolling under a rapidly closing door - that the door of the shuttle opened. He hadn't noticed the landing and hoped it didn't show on his face as he was shaken from his daydream.

Once roused, he was first down the boarding ramp, being sat closest to the door. As he walked, despite his usual reserve, he felt an unusual spring in his step. Perhaps he was buoyed by his confidence in the coming trials, perhaps it was nervous energy anxious to live up to his own expectations, perhaps it was a weak gravity: Al-Ric wasn't sure. What he did know was that he had to take in as much of his surroundings as possible while his competitors also disembarked.

 

[Swan]

[fancybox2]Dressed in her usual sturdy boots, cargo shorts and grey tank top, Teelo Swan was pacing up and down the shuttle as it flew, her short legs stretching to fill the space. She was nervous. This was to be one of her last serious tests while on Lothal, one of the last times she could prove herself to herself. She always put herself under a lot of pressure and today was no exception. Although, to be honest, she wasn't sure what to expect. The Bal Harün Maze was a piece of legend on Lothal, but very few had ever taken the trial to pass through the maze. If she was successful it'd be one hell of a story to tell.

As the shuttle touched down, Teelo rolled her lightsaber in her palm, the leather grip damp with nervous sweat. The first Jedi stepped out with a cocky spring which Teelo did not share. The flight over had been tense and that atmosphere hadn't lifted as the group departed the shuttle. Immediately, the first thing she noticed was the weight. Although she had left her pack at home, preferring to bring just the saber and her clothes, it felt as if she were carrying a number of concrete slabs on her back, the weight pushing her shoulders into the rest of her body. The sudden change in gravity baffled her. Did the whole floating island have its own gravitational pull? Of course not, that would be absurd. If she were any more knowledgeable she may have guessed it was something to do with the mystical power of the Force, but apart from a tingling hum in the back of her head, that was a mystery she would have to solve later.

The instructions were clear: last one to the spire in the center lost. Teelo was not a fan of losing. Shrugging off the pressing weight and the nagging sensation of something being wrong, she set off in a short jog to the nearest entrance, passing the first competitor as she did so. As she stepped onto the first solid ring it spun away from the others and she could only turn her head back to see the shuttle turn away into the distance before turning forward again.[/fancybox2]

[fancybox2][/fancybox2]

 

[Ulysses]

Seeing that the spire was about a kilometer away, Al-Ric calculated, assuming it was at the centre of a circle, that it would be about six all the way round. Therefore it wouldn't be worth going round the whole thing, trying to find the best route.

Instead he started looking round for materials to bridge the initial gap, which appeared to be ten metres wide.

But as he looked back from his search, the gap was no longer so wide, perhaps two or three metres, and he saw an impulsive Jedi make the jump easily.

Al-Ric, however, realising it could change back at any moment, waited for the change again, ready for it to change back to the short distance

 

[Edgeworth]

Telon’s journey in the shuttle was one he spent largely in silence. Yellow eyes slightly narrowed in concentration as he held his grey hands together in thought on his lap. He had heard rumours about this place, but no more. However, more importantly. There was a tournament to be held, and tests to endure. His mind was on the future. His past could not be changed. But what come next was, to some degree, under his control. As the thousand variables ran through his brain as he tried to account for each of them, and how they might be compensated for. But more than that, he thought on the consequences of success and failure this day.

This was still in his mind when he eventually exited the shuttle along with his to colleagues, deep purple robes over a mix of near black purple and chalky purple armour. As he did so the odd sensations that had been affecting him in the shuttle only seemed to increase. To him the gravity was neither too light, nor too heavy. He was not crushed or elevated. No, this was worse. The sin of his mind may not have been as bad to other’s minds. But the gravitational impacts were profound. To him, gravity shifted, constantly, and without pattern. Pulling him up, down, even trying to tug him left or right. Sometimes it was immense, other times as faint as a breeze, once or twice it was even normal. Gravity was as hard to pin down, predict and control as his focus on the future. Indeed, as he nailed himself to the spot in an effort to compensate, he almost fell over just from the constant corrections his body was instinctively trying to make.

He looked with mild disbelief at the young initiate who so easily vaulted onto another ring only to be whisked away. Did she not feel this world’s gravity as he did? What could be the reason for this? There were localised gravitational anomalies, and then there was that! Meanwhile, he still felt like someone was playing with all of the dials on a ship board gravity generator. But he had an appointment to keep! He could not be late. Due to the tournament he had come in full battle dress, including a handy belt and webbing that had a fair few useful pouches. One of which contained a rope. Unwilling to trust his own motor control in this unpredictable world he tied one end of the rope around his waist, the other around decent sized rock, about as large as a man curled up like a ball. Fortunately the powers of telekinesis ignored gravity and so, with some concentration, the gaunt, almost avian jedi levitated his anchor onto the next ring, just after it had span.

Looking over his shoulder to the remaining jedi ( @Ulysses ) he offered. “Come along. You can grab a hold as well. If the ring moves, we won’t fall, it will take us with it.” His words might have been encouraging, but something about his tone seemed a little too detached or formal. Some might have been confused as to his offer of aid, but to him it was the most natural thing in the world. Their instructions only said not to be late, it made no mention of a race. Helping this man put him in no worse a position than he otherwise would be, and his fellow jedi did not deserve to be penalised in a competition they hadn’t even reached yet.

But whether his aid was accepted or not Telon began to haul himself up the rope. Occasionally gravity would try to drag him back down or swing him about, but an iron grip and well trained arms meant his gloved palms stayed firmly on the rope until eventually he made it to the top, and clambered up onto the second ring, looking ahead to his next obstacle.

 

[Ender Jedi]

Grain's medication was suddenly interrupted, he had managed to focus on his meditation throughout the flight, even the through the atmosphere. But as AD3 brought the ship down, Grain felt gravity shift. It was growing stronger and weaker. Who was that even possible? As the young Padawan clutched his staff as he exited the ship, stumbling with ever step. Grain felt sick and barely heard AW3's good luck beep. At one moment the Grain felt as if he were on a small moon, the next, he felt like he had gained 50 or so pounds. How was that even possible? A question that would have to wait for later.

Grain took in his surroundings, one Jedi was already on the next of a series of the floating rings that separates the Jedi from their goal, the spire. If Grain was late (One of his more prevalent skills was tartines) he would be penalized. Grain saw one Knight offer some of his rope to another. Great, it would appear that Grain would competing agents more experienced and fully trained Jedi. Not long ago grain would have felt proud to be considered worthy to compete against fool fledged knights. But so much had happened in the past month, Grain's master had died, and Grain was coming to realize that he wasn't half the Jedi his master was. He had no business competing against Knights!Grain took a deep breath. He had been invited to the tournament, the was almost no way he could win. But he should still try.

Gravity started to stabilize on the lighter end of the odd spectrum, and Grain's mind, fried from the nausea-inducing effects of the shifting gravity, starting moving. The rings were moving closer and further apart from each other. If Grain calculated wear the rings would be and then he could ... NO. There was a better way. Not ready to completely live the gravity puzzle alone, the Padawan pulled out a spear cog from his robe pocket and dropped it. Taking note of how mutch force the cog hit the ground with, Gain picked up the small piece of metal, then he stood there for a moment. Not moving, not calculating. Just feeling, gust meditating. He would move when the time was right.

OOC: Thanks @Edgeworht your post really got me inspired to write mine. Now I NEED to get some sleep. Badly.

 

[Ulysses]

...seven, eight, clunck
So there wasn't a pattern, or at least not an obvious one. The best thing then was to jump on the beat of the shift. Al-Ric had been aware of a rope offered to him, but had waved it away while he counted.

Upon landing on the other side, he turned round and offered a hand to the Jedi clambering up over the edge. His center of mass was above the lip, so the outstretched hand was more of a gesture than actual help. "Al-Ric," he said with a smile, "thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure your rock would take both of us."

The next level was up a 12 foot wall, so Al-Ric went and braced his back against the wall, put forward his left leg, right leg bent with both hands resting on the knee and gestured with his head to the other two to use him as a spring board.

 

[Edgeworth]

Telon offered a slight smile at the hand offered to him, but finished pulling himself up unaided. “I would not want to throw you off of the side by accident.” Explained the kage in slightly dry tones that seemed to be conveying some attempt at warmth. “Telon Aldrecht” He replied to the introduction before casting his gaze back up the wall and adding. “Then we shall find a larger rock.” Again it wasn’t entirely clear if he was offering a practical counter suggestion, deadpan humour, or both. As he looked up the twelve foot wall he again felt the harsh downward tug of gravity, followed by an unnatural lightness, alternate for a while in rapid succession as his mind dwelt on all of the things that could happen. Not just right now, but through this trial and into the next few days, even the long term reputational impacts. Although he did not realise it yet his experience of rapidly alternating gravity was at its peak when his mind went from practical planning into pointless speculation and almost worried over calculation. The sensation made him feel light headed, almost queasy, like a man with particularly bad sea sickness. A keen observe might see his sheer yellow eyes lose focus for a moment as he struggled to control himself, before eventually Telon forced his way through the sensation.

Looking at Al-ric’s offer of a boost he commented matter of factly. “With these rings moving, and gravity as it is. I do not wish to rely upon anything that involves me flying up into the air, even if only briefly, without a safety of some sort. Remind me to add pitons and crampons to my field gear. And try not to lean on the wall. If it moves whilst you are leaning on it the friction might take your back off.” Whilst talking he levitated his boulder once again up onto the next level, before checking his tie to it was secure. However, so long as Al-ric remained there, offering a boost, Telon would not deny the aid. With a nod of both confirmation and thanks he approached Al-ric with a little speed and momentum, before using the fellow jedi’s cupped foot to launch him a little way up the twelve foot height.

As it turned out, gravity chose this moment to become lighter, much, much lighter, and he found himself soaring up into the sky like he had just bounced off of a powerful trampoline. At first his concern was that he might fly too far forward, but this notion was swiftly put to bed when his weight seemed to triple in an instant, and he began to tumble down hard, only just catching the rim of the platform with his forearms as he went, momentum still forcing hid onwards to hand on with only his fingers. The impact winded him slightly, but he was otherwise unharmed. “I am okay.” He declared clearly to the jedi below him. “Nothing broken.” He added whilst hauling himself up. Once he was sure of his ground he untied the rope from about his waist and instead lowered it down to the rest of the team, the other still attached to the rock. “If you are worried about weight you can come one at a time. But in this gravity I wouldn’t jump if I could avoid it!”

 

[Ender Jedi]

Suddenly, Grain moved, he sprinted toward the edge of the ring he was on. Once he reached the edge the ring he was on, he Jumped the next one, landing in a crouch. Once on the second ring, a wide gap suddenly appeared between the two. Grain smiled, he felt more confident now that he had used the force successfully clear the first ring.

As Grain rose from his crouch he felt that gravity had grown heavier. He took the cog out of his pocket dropped it, making not of the sound it made, the Padawan next down and grabbed. He hadn't seen or heard any difference in the dropped cog, but that could just be the limitations of Tagruta scenes.

Taking a deep breath grain observed the next obstacle. It was a tall wall he could probably jump over if the gravity stayed light. Looking over he saw a Jedi leap over the wall with the help of a fellow Jedi. Nodding to the Jedi still on the same level, he sprinted toward the knight and was launched it the are. Grain thought there was enough pour behind the jump to launch him on the top of the ledge but instead he ended up hitting his face on the side of the wall. Grain tried grab the side of the wall but his hand came up short. Just as the Jedi on the top of the wall suggested they come up one at a time grain's hand grabbed the rope.

Grain started to climb the rope hand over hand. "Thank you," Grain said as he climbed.

 

[Swan]

[fancybox2]Teelo peered down. A few hundred feet fell away from her, cascading down to the ground far, far below. She swallowed. The thin platform supporting her was only a couple of feet wide and moving at an almost uncomfortable rate, its revolutions increasing and decreasing in speed seemingly at random. The floor in front of her was empty space and Teelo wasn't certain she could make the jump. Slipping here would be fatal, so she wavered on the edge. What had she gotten herself into? What if she failed? Even if she did make the jump, she could be beaten at any number of more difficult challenges up ahead. Teelo felt the nagging weight solidify into something real and pressing, as if another human was perched on her shoulders. This could be the last point where she could safely turn back. If she just waited until they made it round to the shuttle again... She spun around. The shuttle was still perched where it had been, but no other Jedi were to be seen. They were all ahead of her! This was it, either fail this first challenge and go home, or jump now and still be in with a chance.

Teelo chose the latter. Stepping back, she took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a second, before rolling forward onto the balls of her feet and jumping. She opened her eyes wide and saw her body pass the first few feet of open space. She propelled herself forward, feeling the air pass around her. What was she taught, about displacing the air around her and using it to further her progress through the air. As she fell again, she reached out her arms and collided heavily with the stone of the other side, painfully banging her elbow but remaining on the platform. She pulled herself onto her feet. Her competition were up ahead, but if she was quick she could still catch them. Ignoring her throbbing elbow, she set off running again, desperate to win this first challenge.

The next few obstacles were fairly straight forward. Teelo vaulted over the first few blocks and climbed over a six foot wall with relative ease. She kept her run to a steady pace. It was a long enough distance to the center and, while determined, she wasn't in the best shape for athleticism. Plus the extra weight didn't help, although she noticed it had lessened considerably after her successful jump. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot - keeping an increased breath rate which matched each foot - right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. As she placed each foot down in turn, she started to feel less stable. Finally, a large crack formed under her feet and she ground to a halt. It spread outwards under her. Very precisely, Teelo stepped down on the uneven surface hurting her confidence. The crack gave way, shards of rock crumbling and falling. With a shriek she jumped forward, which only triggered more cracks to branch out from the main source, weaving intricate roots in the stone platform. Teelo started running again, sprinting. If she could just make it to the next platform she would be fine, but if she wasn't quick enough she would follow the shards of rock to her death. With each step another chunk of her floor came away, which only invigorated her to keep moving, keep running from the inevitable downfall of this section. The next platform was only a small jump from this one, but she had to reach the edge first, which was a good 50 feet away.
Now 40.
Now 30.
Now 20,
10,
now here at last, just a jump left and she was
safe.

She skidded to a stop, her thick leather boots screeching on the smooth rock. It was stable, something she quickly noticed to her immense relief. Teelo was safe for now, but she had to keep moving to beat her companions to the middle. The grand spire was just a short while away now. Once she caught her breath, hands on knees, loose hair thick with sweat hanging in front of her face, she would continue on. The others were out of sight now, she just had to hope they were behind not in front.[/fancybox2]

 

[Ulysses]

Al-Ric knew something was wrong after two Jedi struggled to do a simple wall climb, Telon had almost taken his hand off in launching himself into the stratosphere, while the second had barely put any effort in, meaning his body weight was in the wrong place for Al-Ric to push him up the remaining feet. Lucky the rope was there for him to pull himself to the wall...

With these observations in mind, Al-Ric concentrated on his muscle memory for when he had done such walls in training, rather than trust his feelings.

Therefore he backed up a meter or so for a run up and then attacked the wall.

As he put his foot on the wall to push himself up, he realised he had nonetheless under compensated - thinking more about his muscles than the actual task in hand over thinking again Al... Thank goodness for that rope.

He pulled himself up the last few inches with the rope, internally ashamed to be reliant on someone else's help for such a simple task.

When he got over the edge, he looked to his new companions and competitors, weighing them up.

"I don't think we've met," he said to the newcomer, "I'm Al-Ric."

He waited for a response then observed: "I wonder where the other guy who raced ahead got to?"

 

[Edgeworth]

As Telon cast his eyes to the next ring he decided to check the rope, running his hand along it’s length he found a section which had been cut into and frayed, a part of it had caught on a sharp edge of the boulder and was now dangerously weak. He showed no visible signs of frustration as he undid the coil and tucked it away again in one of his pouches, even if we was ever so slightly annoyed by it internally.
“The rope is frayed.” He stated matter of factly. “Unsafe for further use.” His eyes were still surveying the next obstacle as he spoke, aware of the pressures of time. He almost didn’t notice it but gravity was starting to feel a little more regular, a little more normal as he focused his mind on each individual obstacle and how to tackle it, rather than allow it to drift into the further future and wild speculation. He did however, fell a slight rumble beneath his feet as if the ground some distance from here were unstable. At first the next ring was only a short distance from him, but as he went to prepare himself for the jump it slid further away, and quite a distance up. No one was going to jump that height without the aid of the force, the distance perhaps but not the height, and without the rope things had just become a lot more dangerous. Thinking fast he turned to his colleagues.
“We may not have long here, the ground seems unstable. We should move fast. I will use my saber to cut toe and finger holds into the wall of the next ring, then leap up as high as I can without the force. Should I fail, you must be prepared to catch me telekinetically as I fall. Once I am at the top I will turn around and you repeat the actions, with me ready to pull you up telekinetically should you fail. But let’s try to conserve our use of the force if possible. We do not want to tire. All clear?”

So long as no one stopped him he would draw his saber with a sharp and determined air, striking up the crisp blue blade which hummed slightly in the air. He would then, drawing on his years of practice, throw his saber out at the smooth wall of the next ring, arcing it back around like a boomerang, each time carving a cut into the rock with the superheated plasma of the blade. The rock seemed to hiss and spit at the heat, almost popping at times like the surface of bubbling lava, before rapidly cooling. But, bit by bit, Telon forged a series of holds like a ladder up the side of the rock. Eventually, once he was satisfied the kage deignited his saber, made it safe at his side, and ran to make the jump. So focused was he on this one, practical, immediate task that he could actually dome something about, he quite failed to notice gravity had seemingly returned to normal, at least for a little while. Gravity improving, the more practically focused he was.

This meant that when he kicked off for the leap across the gap, straight at a hard rock wall, he judged the force and the angle correctly, without having to compensate for the rapid shifts that had been effecting him. With a rattling thud he hit the far wall, and seemed to slide down an inch or two before his fingers lodged into one of the grips he had carved earlier. Moments later his toes forced their way into another precarious grip, he felt a slight jolt as he rapidly came to a halt. But after a moments pause in which he checked to make sure his grip was firm, he began to climb up rapidly just like it was a ladder in the training yard, unphased by the seemingly vast fall beneath him. It did not logn for him to reach the top, whereupon he turned himself around and called out behind him.
“Next man!” He seemed more like a jedi going through an assault course now, approaching things in much the same attitude, business like, confident and straightforward.

 

[Ender Jedi]

Grainpoled himself over the top of the wall. Once there he called his staff to his hand. He had dropped it when his jump had failed After the failed jump gravity felt even liter. Grain took the cog out of his pocket once again and repeated his previous actions. He hadn't jumped with enough force, so had the Jedi that now climbed up behind him. But the one that had gone up first, he had put to match force into his jump.

Once the las Jedi had gotten to the top and introduced as Al-Rec, Grain nodded at his staff, "I'm Grain, good to nice to meet you. Thank you for the lift." The Padawan added.

Grain spoke once more response to the suggested plan of action, "It's either that or wait intel the ring gets closer," Grain took out his lightsaber, ready to ignite the turquoise blade and lend a hand. "How does the gravity feel to you, heavy, light, somewhere in the middle?" The question was aimed at both of his companions, and he hoped to get two answers. He was beginning to think the gravity here was some kind of trick. When had been guided by the force, he had no problem jumping from wring to ring.

Gravity Was once again starting to feel heavier. On his own, it would be hard to solve the mystery of the gravity, but with three of them, he was already pretty sure gravity felt different to each of them but somehow had the same effect.

OOC: it looks like you are ahead of everyone @Swan, we are all too busy strategising and chatting to keep up with you. I think once we are all safely on the next ring there is going to be some kind of bell or something that will worn use we only have five minutes to get to the spire. Looks like your not going to worry about someone your character hates ... yet.

 

[Swan]

[fancybox2]Teelo set off again, striding purposefully forward. The weight was lifting, almost unnoticeable now, as if her recent dance with death had proven herself worthy to whatever mysterious powers operated here. The journey to the base of the spire was still long and arduous, with a long walk and a short climb. Her trajectory was good. From this angle she could see a clear path to the entrance, a path made of smooth stone and precarious jumps. Quickly jumping over any revolving platforms, Teelo's only priority was to get access to that tower and be the first Jedi to do it, status be damned.

She approached the base of the spire. Its six legs spread around itself on the ground, the huge scale of the building forced her to stop and stare upwards. Vertigo hit her hard. It must have been over six hundred foot tall, towering above her, dominant and secure. Teelo's eyes searched for her entrance point, taking in every intricate detail they swept past. There! Over twenty feet up, a single opening led to the inside of the tower, where surely her next challenge awaited. It wouldn't be an easy climb, but she was so close, she could almost taste the victory.

Her lightsaber clipped securely to her belt, Teelo began the climb. The base of the spire was its roughest point, but it was still made of mostly smooth rock, so finding reliable grips wasn't easy.
Keep three points of contact at all times, she told herself, carefully pulling her body up the precarious building face. Left foot up, right hand up, grab a hold and pull right foot up. The entrance she had spotted grew nearer and nearer. All the while, Teelo's confidence grew and the weight lifted. In fact, it even started to feel like an upward force, propelling her up the side of the spire. She was fifteen feet up, almost there, when she let this new force act against her. As she propelled her right leg up from where it had been tucked into her body, she pushed up the wall and overshot her next hold. She still had her left hand tightly gripping a crack in the spire's wall, but her left arm started to fall as she failed to find a suitable hold, an immediate alarm setting in. In a split second, Teelo had gone from confident and proud to panicked and falling. Her body weight snapped against her left wrist and she let go with a small shriek of pain.

Using the Force to help, she pressed her body into the wall, picking up pace as she slid down the wall's surface. Her knees and palms scraped painfully against the wall as they attempted to find purchase anywhere within the architecture. It was only her left leg that finally found something, her toe landing on an overhanging ledge only an inch thick. This slowed her descent enough to quickly find a new hold for her hands and Teelo didn't ask for the opportunity twice. She pinched onto the flimsy hand grips she had managed to find so hard it caused her knuckles to go white and her fingertips to start to bleed. Her breathing was heavy, but not as heavy as the weight pressing into her once again. The unpleasant wave of passing terror coupled with intense adrenaline left her free leg shaking. She had fallen a good ten feet, open large grazes on her thighs and knees, and had more importantly lost progress. The other Jedi now had a small chance of catching up. The rest of the climb was only going to get tougher as Teelo's self confidence faltered.[/fancybox2]

 

[Kavlan Deverin]

Kavlan stepped confidently off the boarding ramp-of his shuttle. His lightsabers dangling at his waist, he headed for the center as he was told. As the Jedi ventured forward he felt his steps become more slow as a feeling came to him. He felt the weight of a boulder on his shoulders. As fast as the feeling came to him the the shifting gravity caught him by surprise once again as he felt like he was about to be sucked into the darkness of space.

Though his thoughts kept questioning these trials, Kavlan pursued forward until coming across the first set of rings. The shifting gravity made it hard to show if the platforms were close enough to reach as they kept changing in distance with seemingly no order. Without thought Kavlan jumped to the platform in front of him. He took a small glance behind him to see if he had actually any distance, before continuing. He passed several obstacles with ease. Smaller walls gave him little trouble but upon reaching a certain 12-foot wall he started to slow down. He was behind the rest of the competitors which cause pumped his adrenaline. He saw a rope dangling down from the top but his instincts told him not to try the rope.

Kavlan prepared him self to leap the high distance but a shift of gravity gave him second thoughts as he bent to one knee fearing a hard crash into the ground after a failed attempt. However once the gravity shifted back he surged up just managing to grab the edge. He pulled his body up onto the ledge with some effort. Kavlan took a sigh of relief only to bee greeted with the sight of other competitors jumping from ring to ring.

Kavlan was not one to be left behind in the dust and surged forward letting the Force and his own senses to guide himself in an attempt to keep up or even catch up to the other Jedi in front of him.

 

[Ulysses]

"I don't trust it" Al-Ric said to Grain; "I'm not sure I trust this plan to climb the next wall either, but it's the only one we've got."
Rather than throwing his own lightsaber, he added the weight of his power to the other blade(s?) as it (/they) carved the hold into the wall.
He would wait though, until he had made sure that the younger Jedi had safely completed the climb before following. "After you, I'll catch you," he waved

 

[Edgeworth]

Telon called his answer to the question over the gap. But at first it was likely not the answer expected. “I said next man!” He barked back at his party. “Get a move on!” He was most dissatisfied at the rest of the jedi just standing about whilst there was a time pressured task ticking away. If it had not been for his solid team spirit the man who would have left them all behind for their dilly dallying. But this was not a race against one another, rather only time. The selfish child who would abandon them had been left behind long ago. But this did not mean he was happy.

If either of the two jedi jumped he would answer Grain’s question as they climbed. His manner of speech had shifted. It was firm, simple, clear, to the point and authoritative. He sounded like an officer taking recruits through an assault course. “Gravity was extremely variable. It has now significantly stabilised.” But even as he said this his mind was on the next, immediate challenge. It seemed, that so long as he remained focused on the practical problems of the moment and not pointless conjecture, that gravity acted normally. Part of him noticed this, and found the correlation intriguing. Though correlation was not necessarily causation. But the vast majority of him remained laser focused on the next challenge. The ground ahead seemed almost easier now, with gravity acting like it should the task was almost routine.

So long as the rest did what they were told Telon would give a single nod of satisfaction and affirmation at the first jedi to climb over the lip of the wall beneath him. “Stop, turn around, help the next man. I will go on to the next challenge asses it, and await you there.” And with those brief words of instruction he tore ahead, keen to try and make up for the time his colleagues had lost. Much like Teelo, Telon was now finding the terrain much easier to deal with. Running, vaulting, leaping, all without the aid of the force. Just natural muscle and technique, his years of hard practice on display. He did not stop at the revolving platforms, though he did occasionally have to spend a few moments trying to run counter to their rotation, because they were no longer a difficulty. He assumed, they would not be for his comrades either.

Thus, the kage gained on Teelo with some alacrity, close enough to see the outline of the young girl fall just as she was near the entrance. Worried for the safety of a comrade Telon doubled his pace, clear headed but with a more pressing sense of urgency. This was no longer a race against the clock, it was a race to aid a fellow jedi in distress. As such, he soon found himself at the base of the spire as well, believing his team to be close behind. With his attention on Teelo he looked up and called out. “Are you injured? Your leg looks as if it is in distress! Drop down, I will slow your descent with the force. We will look at your wounds, ensure you are fit to go and then you can try again!” Already Telon was standing at the ready, arms slightly outstretched to catch the woman if she fell. He had no real interest in stealing the lead, just making sure she was uninjured.

 

[Ender Jedi]

"I can't disagree either of you," Grain nodded at the older Jedi. "It seems unnatural, I think it is fooling our senses somehow." Leaving the sentiment hanging, Grain stepped back to the edge of the cliff. "Well," the Tagruta gathered energy in the force, judging the jump through the force, not trusting he could figure our the jump with the odd gravity, "see you on the other side." Grain threw his staff like a javelin, waited for a brief moment than sprinted after it. Once grain reached the edge of the ring, he jumped, landing for split second on his staff.

Grain had never found a Lightsaber crystal of his one, his turquoise saber originally belonged to his master. As a result, Grain had infused his staff with the force, and by extension his one essence, into the staff to the point where it could take repeated hits from blasters, vibrio blades, and even lightsabers. Grain had a pond with the weapon, possibly a much deeper bond than a Jedi could ever have with a lightsaber, or it's crystal. A bond that had been strengthened by the countless hours he spent carving his staff. A bond that allowed him to almost effortlessly control his staff. A control that enabled to use his staff for one extra jump.

Grain was once again flying through the air. Almost everything that could go wrong, was about to. Grain felt a warning through the force immediately before he hit the wall, but it was too late.

Grain's index finger landed some kind of material that had kept the heat from the lightsaber. Grain reflexively from the wall. Grain's troubles weren't over yet, however.

Another ring struck the one he was holding onto form below. The resulting rumble caused a the aria immediately around Grain to collapse. Grains hand desperately flailed for something to grab onto, evenly clutching a wee that grew somehow had managed to grow out of the rock. The Grain yet more problems to worry about as a giant bolder barreled toward him. Grain had know way to know if his allies were close enough to help him, he had to act as if he was one his own and save his one life. Reaching out through the force, Grain knew there was no way he could move the or destroy the boulder. Given more time he could have easily done either, but this wasn't a listen at a temple, no, this was real life and he needed to act quickly. Grin focused on the week points the bolder, But only in the spot that was going to hit him. For a moment time seemed to slow, Grain felt the pour of the force and a network of weak points in the boulder. Clutching the weed with one hand, Grain reached out with the other. In a moment dust and dabery surrendered Grain as the bolder passed harmlessly over him.

For a split second, Grain thought he was saif, then the weed snapped. Grain was falling again, he reached for his staff through force, hoping to use it create hoping to wedge it into the side of the mountain and grab it. Before that could happen, Grain's harm landed a ledge and was soon pin there by second bolder. Grain was beginning to dislike large rocks. Ironically tho, it seemed to Grain this particular large rock had saved his life, tho it had broken his arm in the prosses.

Grain called to his staff yet again, doing his best to endure the intense pain in his arm. Grain lodged his staff in one of the rigdes he and his fellow Jedi had carved. Putting a foot on it to take off some of the weight pulling on his broken arm, Grain observed had ground started to appear not 8ft. below him. Grain tried to figure out how he would get down there. He grimaced in pain as he thought of a way that would easily circumvent cutting off his own arm, Grain took out his lightsaber cut through both the ledge on the bolder pinning his arm.

as grain landed on the lower ring, a gap formed between the two and the Padawan began to slide in the divided. Grain desperately Grabbed the ring with his good hand to slow and stop his slide. With one broken arm and hand now rubbed, raw Grain took a moment to breathe on the slanted ring. With the particular bad few minates the Padawan was having, it had been a huge mistake.

The two rings started to collide again, like a giant mow. Grain started to scramble up the thing ring, not in a hearing to get crushed. Each time his broken arm touch something, pain racked through, but Grain had to match adrenalin pumping threw him to stop now. Unfortunately, the outlook was bleak for the Padawan. As a final hail mary, Gran moved his staff so that it propped up the stop the rings from closing, Grain was two meters away safety. Now one. Now one-half. Grain staff started to bend. Grain gave one final lunge with everything he had to one final lung. The moment after Grain's foot was safe, the Rings smacked to gather, and grain staff broke with a snap.

The Padawan looked in horror at his weapon of choice. Grain turned away, unable to bear the pain of loosing his Presses staff grain turned to see a broken lite saber. His broken lightsaber. The lightsaber had probably been rolled over or smashed by a boulder, Grain was really starting to hate thost things. Grain inched his way to the broken weapon, and gingerly put the salvageable pieces in his pocket, putting the kiber crystal in last.

In what felt like an hour, but could only have only been a few minutes, Grain had lost his chances at winning, or even competing in, the competition, the lightsaber of his dead master once wielded, and even his staff ... With little else he could do, Grain dove into the force, channeling the light side threw his broken arm. If Grain hadn't been in so much pain, might have realized he had just taken his first step into the healing arts.

 

[Kavlan Deverin]

Kavlan seemed to be following the train of Jedi helping each other. He sighed to himself seeing how far behind he was. His adrenaline only urged him forward. He could not seem to get used to the gravity but he powered his way through it. To himself he believe the Force would keep his feet on the right path and all he had to do was apply the energy to keep moving. He let out a yell as he sprinted to catch up to the other Jedi.

After a few minutes of hard sprinting he made it to the other Jedi but he said nothing more but a simple "Thanks" to any that helped him along the way. Though weighted by the shifting gravity and his armor he somehow he started to move ahead of the group. His lightsabers dragged as he sped forward his only objective was to reach the spire. Kavlan barely thought in his execution. He just did what ever he had to do in order to move on. The next set of rings mattered not him after some careful jumps the young Jedi Knight managed to clear the rings and continue on.

To others Kavlan seemed to be on autopilot seeming to clear anything before him with ease. He practically showed no emotion as he ran as if in a trance. Soon enough he caught a glimpse of Telon seem to be reaching for something. While not chancing pace he called upon the force to launch him self as close as he can bringing him out of his bliss like state. He shouted to Telon, " Do you need help? ". though he was a distance away he wanted to know what was happening as soon as possible.

 

[Anthkir Kinclo]

Anthkir boarded the Starship like the other Jedis. Any equipment was banned during these trials, only robes and sabers. It suited Anthkir because he liked to keep it simple with using his Lightsaber, the Force, and the environment, but he did not expect the planet itself to against him. He moved out of the way from his allies then stood still, he closed his eyes and relaxed the muscles and nerves in his body, letting the Lightside flow into his body and gather around him, letting his body and the Force around him adjust to this new world. He was thankful that he was among comrades and deemed it unnecessary to wear his helm.

He volunteered for this trial. He wanted to be tested and see how far the Force would take him. How strong he can be through the Force.
He lined up with the others and watched as the rings moved on their own in a seemingly random pattern. Anthkir didn't take the time to study them. "What would be the point in studying something that would have inconsistencies." Instead he stayed a few meters away from the edge of the platform and drew the Force close around him. He sprinted towards the ring in front of him as it started moving closer. Reaching the edge of the platform, he pushed the Force that he gathered to the soles of his feet and sprang himself into the air. He did his best to keep his momentum as he was midair and landed on the second platform with a meter to spare.
Anthkir managed to keep up with the other Jedis but wasn't quite sure where it was going to end. "This is going to be a long trial."