Caved In

[Naevah]

Dathomir had always exerted a certain pull on the Force sensitive individuals of the galaxy. No one could quite explain the fascination, for even Jedi, ardent followers of the light, would often find their way to its densely covered surface, overrun with vegetation, forests, and swamplands. For the most part, the Nightsisters didn't mind these intrusions; their ability to conceal their presence was unparalleled. And on the odd occasions that the spirits would see fit to bring them a new sister, well that was a gift they could not turn down.

In the years that had followed the Sith's attack on their homeworld, the Dathomirians had grown weary of outsiders, especially those of the male gender, but they very rarely succumbed to primal urges of vengeance. Naevah, in particular, possessed admirable emotional control. Although she shared the pride of her clan, she would not let her actions be guided by events that had happened centuries ago.

As the sun had sunk lower in the sky, the light of day draining away, giving way to the velvety dark of night, Naevah had headed out to gather ritualistic herbs and wild mushrooms that only grew in the murky caves of Dathomir, her nomadic coven having decided to set up camp on a mountain side and she quickly located a satisfactorily location.

It was a cave mouth of impenetrable blackness, as Naevah had stepped in she had watched her shadow dissolve into the surrounding darkness. It was dank and the only sound was the dripping water. The cavern wormed its way half a mile into the mountain. Its general shape was ovoid, the walls below the ridge smoothly curved to the floor, the walls above arched another hundred feet up to giant stalactites. The stalagmites were a rather unusual variety, appearing to be made of rounded, irregular, hollow cones, which were concave upwards.

Naevah kneeled, her hands outstretched, to feel the soil around her. She crawled until she felt moisture, a fertile ground for fungi. She was not disappointed: as she dug deeper and dirt crept under her fingernails, she felt the distinctly rubbery texture of a mass live cells. Smiling, she gathered her finds in small pouch that she then itched to her waist as she got up. Then, she determinately started looking for the next item on her list.

Abruptly, her focus was pulled from her observation of her surroundings by a noise reverberating through the caves from the still sunlit forest clearing where the cave entrance was located.

@Philosoraptor

 

[Vianna Rhojjn]

The sound of rustling deep in the darkness caught Vianna’s attention as she wandered the landscape of Dathomir. Her last visit here had been some time ago, when she’d come into contact with some interesting energies. The Force gripped her by the throat here, not wanting to let go until she had been shown just exactly what it was that was so important underneath this planet. “I grow tired of this wandering,” she said softly to herself, tugging the hood over her head tightly. “My feet ache and there is nothing worth my time at present.” She scoffed. It felt as though she had been walking for days, when really it had only been a few hours.


As she scoffed, she was nudged in the direction of the sound. “Ah,” she said with a smirk. “Perhaps something interesting is on the horizon.” She stepped forward through the rocks and stone that flanked her every move. Dathomir was a place she’d stayed before, though it had been some years. And back then, she had been a guest, not a prowler. She was personally interested in the darkness lurking beneath the planet. Having finally found the time to come back, she took every precaution in coming here. She began to see the opening of an abyssal cave.


Whatever it was, was close by, and another step revealed the Dathomiri woman across from her, close to the ground. If Vianna had been on vacation, she’d have thought her beautiful. That didn’t really matter right now, rather, who was she? Though she thought of her lightsaber, she rejected the urge to act on it. “I mean you no harm, woman,” Vianna said calmly in her authoritative voice. It was like dark, stained glass. Frigid, cold, but somehow soothing. “My feet are tired, I simply seek shelter for the night.” This woman was...was she a Nightsister? Vianna knew of them, and had come into contact once before, but only briefly.

@Aberforth