Ask Dark Rituals

[Darth Arcanos]

Nixor was a wasteland after what Raze had done to it. And yet, for Azar it felt like paradise. The Dark Force nexus was more powerful here than anywhere else he had felt. He drank it in, let it surge through him, and he thought of all the ways this could empower the Sith. Did Raze and Tempest truly have diverging goals? Or did it just come down to ego? Ego was always the bane of Sith. For someone that operated within the shadows, Azar had always survived by overcoming ego. That would be impossible when he made a play for the Korriban crown. Already he knew he would do whatever it took to become Sith’ari.

He had asked Kaldar to meet him and help him cross past abominations. As Raze’s apprentice, Kaldar and some of the Exalted were the only ones that had some measure of influence over the beasts. Kaldar could, of course, watch Azar get torn to shreds, but that wouldn’t benefit either of them.

The Pureblood was adorned in his alchemy robes, the hood drawn to hide the upper hemisphere of his face. The nexus was a quarter mile away, but he could sense the beasts lurking there.

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar hadn't been to Nixor before, and a part of him was curious what it had been like before it had been Razed. Of course, that thought was replaced shortly thereafter by being impressed by the fact that he had done this to a world. He had carved out a slice of galaxy and luxury for himself, and that was what Kaldar craved.

He hadn't allowed himself the question of what would happen if he failed to bring Raze back. Sure, he could do fine for himself, but he didn't want fine. It wouldn't happen. He wouldn't allow it.

He had foregone his mask on this world, and his normally lighthearted demeanor was veiled by something far more serious.

He could sense the darkness in the distance ahead and the abominations that lingered there. He'd spent plenty of time around the creatures, but they were still somewhat unnerving. And yet, their usefulness was limitless.

The abominations will give us a wide berth, he said, wondering if they would be able to sense the intention of the pair. Did the fact that they were going to try revive Raze resonate in their bones? It wasn't like they had souls, after all.

The Dark Side was thick here, and he had no doubt that it was why they were here. The Veil between life and death was thinner here, which meant it was easier to contact the other side, but it also meant that plenty of other things would be trying to squeeze through and... oh you know... possess them, try to kill them... the usual.

What kind of sacrifice is this going to entail? he asked. He wasn't backing out, but he was a man who liked to plan. He wanted to know what exactly he was getting himself into and what long term damage he might take from this. It occurred to him that it might involve him becoming possessed by Raze and that... that was too much even for Kaldar.

 

[Darth Arcanos]

“You were his apprentice, yes?” Azar asked, “You will have formed a bond of sorts. There is no sacrifice needed just yet for we have to validate this whole ritual is even worth it,” He wouldn’t waste his time and effort if there was no presence on the other side. As much as he respected Kaldar, his vague words and hopes were simply not concrete enough. The visual assessment of ‘well he was 7 ft tall and then he wasn’t’ was lame at best.

He let Kaldar lead the way, wary of the beasts that he could smell and hear lurking about. Gleaming eyes tracked their movements and soft growls resounded, but nothing attacked for now, “Using the nexus as a glorified comlink will disrupt it briefly. That may trigger the abominations,” Azar explained, “I will need you to cover me if that happens,” He stated flatly. Brute force wouldn’t work on the abominations - Kaldar would have to lean on the mental manipulation techniques Raze had taught him.

Azar could only stare as they arrived at the nexus, the likes of which he hadn’t seen before. It was awe-inspiring that this was created by another being. The massacre and deaths here only fueled it to become more powerful, serving as a massive reservoir for the Dark Side.

The Pureblood sat down cross legged on a platform across the nexus, closing his eyes, “Sit with me and lend me your strength to open the gates,” He told Kaldar. If the apprentice did so, Azar would slowly enter the plane of the Force, bidding Kaldar to walk with him in that alternate universe. The abominations were present there - their signatures in the Force pitch black and looming, but at a safe distance for now. He would need Kaldar's connection to Raze to force past the barriers Raze would have placed around the nexus.

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar could practically feel the skepticism oozing off of Azar, and he was 99% sure that the Pureblood was doing this just to see if he could more than anything else. He knew that Azar didn't expect it to work, and if Kaldar hadn't heard the voice of Raze in his dreams (which were always so reliable) then he might not have believed it either. But he had learned to trust his instincts during his training, and they hadn't failed him yet.

He listened intently to Azar as he spoke about what would happen and why they needed to be here. He knew that he was no expert on any of this, and he was wise enough to defer to those who were.

Death stained the air as they approached the center of the Nexus, and Kaldar could feel in his gut that this was going to test him. It was going to push him, and if he failed he would be killed. They both would be. No pressure.

I will, he said simply, though his mind was on the abominations that would likely be descending on them soon enough. Monstrosities were useful when they could be controlled, but they could be just as dangerous to the creator or manipulator as they were to everyone else if you weren't careful. He had heard the old tales of Sith Lords being ripped apart by their own creations.

Azar took a seat, and Kaldar joined him at his request, closing his eyes and drawing on the Force. He pulled into himself all the energy around them, letting it grow and fester, mixing with his own lust for power and the anger that drove him onward. He let the Dark Side permeate him and grow within himself before flowing into a merged form with Azar. His mind was swept up to another world, and he wondered if this was what it was like to die. To walk from your body into another place entirely without physicality and where everything felt abstract... both close and far.

He could see the abominations like gaping voids in the Force, swallowing up everything around them and ahead was something like a wall. Wisps of energy seemed to leap up around them as they crossed the mental bridge to the nexus's center in the Force.

He put his hand to the "wall" and it rolled open, revealing another passage ahead that branched off into many others. Azar would be able to tell that it was a maze in which one could easily become lost. It seemed that although Kaldar was the key to the doors, it was not so easy to navigate through even with the doors open.

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar knew it was both dangerous inside here and outside of here. He had to be exceptionally careful to avoid setting off the abominations that lurked nearby. He could see Kaldar in the realm of the Force and he saw the darkness in his chest like a trail of black smoke. Did Kaldar realize it was there as a result of Raze’s corruption? The entity was curious - he left behind a corruption that was the darkest form of the Force. It was almost unnatural even coming from a Pureblood.

Azar walked through the world, seeing the tumultuous skies, the floating spires and debris, and the maze-like path. While Kaldar was the key, Azar was the navigator. He knew these realms - his people had created them. As Kissai, this was exactly the kind of construct they designed and built.

“This is intended to trap those that are not powerful enough to know better,” Azar explained as he navigated the path, “Consider the ground littered with mines,” It was difficult to imagine as they stepped through lands that faded in and out of reality. Everything felt tangible and also like smoke all at once.

Every now and then Azar paused, and knelt down. He closed his eyes and whispered words in ur-Kittat. Kaldar would then see seemingly solid walls give way to new paths that weren’t there before. A few times of this and a new doorway was revealed.

“Open this and call out to him,” Azar told Kaldar, “You are listening for a whisper..an echo.. A faint pulse..anything to indicate that he exists.”

 

[Kaldar]

This was an odd place, and yet Azar navigated it as one who had spent a lifetime of study navigating it. No doubt, that was exactly the truth, and it showed. He wondered how many years of practice and how much work it would take for him to be able to manage all aspects of the Force like the great Lords did. Darth Raze and Darth Sidious had needed no one to assist or fill in the gaps in their knowledge and had made the galaxy kneel.

Would he ever make it to that point? Did he have the strength and cunning? They were thoughts that he seldom ruminated on, but this place seemed to bring it out: doubt. Azar would feel it as well. Questions about his goals and aspirations. If he had the strength or knowledge to gain control of ancient Sith space, and if he did manage to gain it, whether he would be able to hold it against his rivals.

All of these doubts arose because they were in the domain of doubt. An ancient and powerful Primal Spirit of Doubt and Fear had lingered here for many years, and its presence had infected everything.

He watched as Azar seemed to shape a door out of almost nothing, bringing it to bear in this world in front of him. He had no idea what he would see behind the door, but as he reached out to touch it, he felt a chill run through his heart.

He turned the knob and through the door open, only to be met by a precipice that opened up like a chasm into nothingness below. A mix of odd shapes seemed to float in the abyss below them, many of them so hideous they couldn't even be described. Tentacles and eyeballs mixed with misshapen and elongated bodies twisting into grotesque and cephalopodic-type legs. The two of them had wandered truly into the bowels of the Force where ancient evils born of pure darkness resided.

In truth, Kaldar's tongue caught in his throat. He was seldom at a loss for words, but as he looked at the twisted monstrosities that seemed to fill the void below them, he felt fear grip his chest. Fear of what might respond and how it might drag them into the bowels of this place.

He reached out and gripped the doorway to steady himself as the fear threatened to consume him. It was fear that wasn't natural but nothing about this place was natural. It cut through flesh and bone and threatened to drive whoever looked at it to madness.

His knuckles started to turn white as he held fast to the doorway.

Lord Raze! he finally shouted, his voice echoing into the abyss. At first, nothing seemed to respond, but then, he heard a whisper. The faintest of sounds on the edge of the void. He wasn't even sure what it said, but he knew in that icy heart that he was heard.

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar exhaled as he saw the grotesque beasts. He had seen the physical manifestations of abominations, but they were far worse in this realm. He wanted to turn and run the way he came, regretting ever coming here. However, he noticed that the worse his thoughts spiraled, the bigger the beasts became and slowly turned towards them.

“They smell fear,” Azar said calmly, not judging Kaldar for having his own apprehension. This was perhaps the most dangerous realm Azar had ever walked, and he wasn’t entirely sure they could get out in time if these beasts attacked, “The only thing keeping us alive right now is your devotion to your Lord,” Azar informed Kaldar flatly. If there was even a hint of doubt, the entire realm would be shaken and the beasts unleashed. Kaldar had to keep his wits about him and stay true to his commitments.

Kaldar called out for Raze and there was nothing but silence. He looked at Kaldar for affirmation and saw it on his face. Azar’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He collapsed down to his knees, gazing at Kaldar.

“He…he is an entity then…”

There was the sharpest pang of fear then. And with it, one of the beasts snapped away from the horde and rapidly snaked towards the duo.

 

[Kaldar]

The moment after Kaldar called out seemed like it stretched out for an eternity. He didn't know what would meet them down here, and it wasn't just abominations. It was evil born of ancient darkness, and of course this was where Raze had made his lair on this side of the Force.

But nothing came for them. Nothing trying to drag them into the abyss, at least not yet.

Kriffing told you, he said, his voice ice. It wasn't a satisfied "I told you so" but rather the revelation of a terrible reality. Terrible and brilliant and wonderful reality.

This is a Sith, he said. Kaldar wanted to be a true Sith, but even he recognized he still had so much to learn. There was a galaxy's worth of dark knowledge out there, and he was determined to drink it all in. And perhaps Azar would find that power within the Sith Order, but he may also think back to Kaldar's statements in Azar's academy. Azar may finally see what enticed Kaldar away from the Sith Order.

And then the thing that Kaldar dreaded happened. A gargantuan beast broke off from the rest, floating over the void of nothingness with a speed that was only quickening with each passing moment.

Kaldar felt that same pang of fear threaten to grip his chest again, but then he felt something else. That seed of pure darkness that Azar had sensed in Kaldar seemed to spring up within him. Perhaps it was still attached to Raze in some way, but whatever it was, it gave the Sith a power he had never really felt before.

He drew from the void of darkness and redirected it, placing his hand outward in front of him and uttering a single word.

Stop.

The word echoed with the Force itself and even Kaldar wasn't sure if the power was from within him, from the Void, or from Raze working through him. Perhaps it was all three, but he didn't care. It was intoxicating and invigorating. It was the power to burn a world through nothing but sheer willpower or to bend a man's mind to commit atrocities against others on a whim. It was a taste of what he could become someday.

The creature ahead of them reeled and froze, screeching in rage even as Kaldar could hear the whisper of Raze's presence beyond.

Tell me how to bring you back, Master, he called back, his face now twisted far from the gaze of "pretty boy" and into one of rage, desire, and dominance. It was a glimpse of what could be. What would be.

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar wanted to argue and to correct Kaldar, but he found himself silent. He had never felt something like this. Something so pure as he understood it. His people spoke of prophecies, of Sith’ari and other promises of powerful Sith coming to power. None of it ever spoke of something like this, something so visceral and overwhelming and terrifying.

He was even more unnerved when Kaldar managed to give the beast that rose pause. Azar expected certain death and destruction, but even that tiny sliver of black Kaldar had in his soul was enough to stop it temporarily. However, Azar knew more about this realm than the other man and he turned to him, “He is not powerful enough to communicate. We must leave, now!” He hissed, “I have the answer I sought.”

Without another word, he grasped Kaldar and started to run in the opposite direction. The beast was in suspended animation, slamming against an unseen wall until there was a thunderous crash as if glass shattering to a million pieces. The creature began to move again, rushing behind them at top speed.

Azar was in a full force run, leading down the path and stopping whenever they needed to open doors again. He would mark the doors and Kaldar would have to open them all while the beast gave chase. The world around them began to break and turn into an inky black void. They needed to get out of here at once.

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar's mind moved at the speed of light as Azar said they had to leave. More than anything else, his mind was his greatest strength and in the course of an instant he turned over every possibility.

He's afraid of Raze coming back? Unlikely. No, told up front it wouldn't happen today. Stay here and die. No good to anyone. But Raze... bring him back. Soon.

The disjointed thoughts poured through his mind and only a split second later, he was running behind Azar. Pseudo-adrenaline poured through him, the high of his power still there. Something he would do anything to obtain.

The right decision, he thought to himself. There were times he had doubted bringing Raze back even within the deepest recesses of his mind. He was a Sith apprentice, after all, and he'd be a fool not to consider it. Raze would have thought him a fool if he didn't, but he had come back, and it was now proving to be the right decision.

As they ran, the world seemed to crumble all around them. The creatures at their back had seen a new food source, and they would do whatever they could to consume it. The ground under his feet nearly gave out and fell away into nothingness as he darted back, the path to their exit dead ahead.

He practically leapt through the portal back into the world of the living, slamming back into his own body with enough force to actually knock him from his kneeling position back into the dirt behind him.

He gasped, blood pumping with thrill, and he actually laughed. It was one part the rush dissipating and one part the memory of the power he had held. His eyes fell down to his hands and although he could feel the power gone now, he knew he would find that high again. He had to and he would do anything to get it. It was the fix.

His hands clenched together and he looked over to Azar, a terrifying glint in his eye.

Who am I killing? he asked. That was what it always came down to, right? They had confirmed Raze's presence could be brought back. That was step 1. Step 2 was Kaldar helping Azar with his takeover, and that usually meant killing someone. In Kaldar's experience there was no currency more potent than a life and a single death could often be traded to shift the galaxy.