Ask Fungal Foray

[Ana DAmico]

Ana sighed exasperatedly as Felucia came into view. She hated worlds like this; worlds with untapped, unrestrained, primal energies. There was no civilization or expectations on this world outside of eat-or-be-eaten. No, worlds like these, like Dxun or Kashyyyk or any other god-forsaken world of apex predators, were the Force in its most natural state of organized chaos, of entropy. The beasts below served no master but instinct and craving, heeded no call but that of their stomachs. This was what the Sith Eternal hoped to establish within the societies they infiltrated. They were the agents of change, but worlds like this did not need their interference.

No, they were here for a wholly different reason. The rumor of potential Sith relics had necessitated their investigation, and so she gathered a few likeminded cultists to make the sojourn to this accursed planet. The Muse held just enough room for them in their journey across the stars, and, thanks to its impressive speed, their arrival was expedient and timely. She navigated the ship into a clearing near a river with the help of Beegee, setting it down a few meters from the muddy embankment. They had a rough idea of where to travel; it was now up the Force to guide them where they needed to be.

Wordlessly, she rose from her seat and moved to the landing ramp, which lowered itself with a hiss. She wore an adventurer’s outfit of high leather boots with linen pants and blouse, understanding the need for breathable fabrics on such a humid, swampy world. Without waiting for her companions, she led the way down the ramp and outside into the fungal swamp.

Immediately, she was awestruck by the sheer scale of the flora and fauna here. Massive trumpeted cones rose from the ground, their odd coloration attracting a number of insects that would become entrapped within its sticky core to be digested over an agonizing timespan. Fat, bulbous insects buzzed harmlessly by, seeking new plants to pollinate while other, more sinister bloodsuckers darted around the new visitors. Everything here existed to serve some purpose in the ecosystem, but they only saw the smaller things right off the bat. In the distance, she could hear the ominous shrieks of this planet’s predators on the hunt, and a tinge of anxiety and fear bubbled to the surface of her subconscious.

She kept her lightsaber and vibroknife on her person, hoping she wouldn’t need to use the weapons, but rarely did things go according to her hopes. They needed to find the site of these supposed relics and get off this world before they became food for something far larger and hungrier than they were, especially given her present company.

Ana folded her arms across her chest and looked back towards the ship, impatiently waiting for her peers to join her and begin the search for their prize.

@The Captain @Strabo

 

[Korsak Wulpez]

Korsak had been somewhat warry of taking this journey with this bright, inexperienced young noble woman, but the presence of Magos had eased the Amaran's nerves. Magos was...peculiar to say the least but he wasn't nearly as foolish as his eccentricities made him appear. If he was interested in this little excursion to the floating compost heap that was Felucia, Korsak figured it couldn't be a complete wild Bantha chase. If nothing else, watching this prim and proper aristocrat flounder in the muck would be entertaining. This wasn't the first time Korsak had taken a walk in the wild, swampy woods, and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.

In fact, stepping off the ship onto Felucia almost struck a chord of nostalgia in the young Amaran for his homeworld and the days he spent wandering the far wilderness on his search for greater truths. The chirp and chitter and growl and howl of distant creatures created a sort of symphony of natural sounds that he found almost soothing. There was something about untouched nature that soothed even his violently imbalanced soul.

But the time for poetry was later, especially since his esteemed host was waiting at the bottom of the ship's ramp like she intended to scold them for being late. So Korsak stepped into view but took his slow, sweet time rambling down the ramp to the ground, surveying the beautifully bright foliage of the planet.

"Don't furrow your brows like that, Lady DAmico, you'll get wrinkles." Not that he cared, in fact the word 'Lady' was dripping with thick, pointed sarcasm.

 

[Magos Otahn]

Felucia was a swamp, Naboo (or at least his half of it) was a swamp. Magos soon realised the differences ended there. While Naboo was green and cool, Felucia assaulted the eyes and brought sweat to the skin. He knew of Korsak before the trip, but this Ana was a new character to him. A noble from Serenno, she was clearly inexperienced, but he trusted her insight, and her name.

Stepping last out of the craft, he drank in the lush world, not minding the insects or decaying scents. The back of his mind remembered that mammals, like his two fellow cultists, found these climates quite unpleasant, but he could careless for their comfort. He'd been to enough frigid tundras and sun blasted deserts to take in their displeasure. At times he felt like the Galaxy was designed with human comfort in mind. He laughed at the thought and stretched his arms up as if he was greeting the moist air. His dark tunic was a bit shorter than usual, to prevent tripping, but it was much warmer than what his companions wore.

"I'm glad I came on this mission! I do feel sorry for you two on account of your fur." He laughed a bit, and looked to Ana: "So where are these relics were looking for?"

@Painus
@The Captain

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana rolled her eyes as Korsak lackadaisically sauntered down the landing ramp. The amaran runt seemed to take pleasure in taking his time, much to her chagrin. She wanted to hurry up and begin the journey to their target, not spend all day because of a spiteful tourist taking in the fresh air. He spoke to her and she shook her head, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her hips idly. ”If the esteemed Korsak would like,” she said to the amaran, her tone equally caustic as his, ”He can ride in a satchel of mine. I’d hate for you to be whisked away by some wandering vine or carried off into the unknown by a large bird.”

Magos followed shortly thereafter, and she couldn’t help but feel mildly repulsed by the gungan. She was still fairly inexperienced with regard to the greater galaxy, and she was still getting used to seeing such variety among the many aliens traveling about. He seemed to thrive in this humid environment, which she envied somewhat. His demeanor was less brusque than the lapdog’s, but his optimism would become irritating, if he kept up this cheery façade the entire time.

She looked at her datapad, then out into the wilderness, thinking about Magos’ question. She knew of the location they were heading to, but nothing more than that. ”We’re… nearby,” he mused, looking around the swampland, ”We’re looking for a small temple, maybe as big as a wayshrine, maybe as big as an apartment. The records are inconsistent.” She shrugged lightly, then looked back at her two partners.

”There’s a faint whisper at the edge of hearing,” she remarked, reaching out beyond her body with her preternatural senses, feeling a kernel of darkness far from their location. It was anybody’s guess if it was the relic site they were looking for, but it was all she had. She brought her senses back in and gestured in the direction of the presence she felt, her hand following along the side of a stream. ”If you’ve no qualms, I suggest we go that way.”

Whether they agreed or not, she’d set off in the indicated direction, pulling her boots up out of the muck and grimacing. This planet was going to be immensely frustrating, but she was eager to get moving.

@The Captain @Strabo

 

[Korsak Wulpez]

"You brought a purse on this expedition?" Korsak hit the bottom of the ramp without increasing his pace or softening his dry, pointed tone. The only thing that brought a genuine, non-malicious smile to his face was when Magos emerged, waxing about the climate and the bodily hair of his two companions.

"I'm not the one you should be worried about." The needling continued as their illustrious host explained that she wasn't quite exactly sure where their target temple was. Now, as a scholar he could understand working with inconsistent records and half-truths when looking for historical sites. On the other hand, he was now standing out in the middle of a wilderness, however beautifully untamed, with only a vague notion that this was where they needed to be.

"Well I sincerely hope whatever 'whisper' you're hearing isn't just swamp gas getting to your head." With no better plan for locating the temple, Korsak would follow after Ana, although rather than trudging in the mud he would almost dance across the few patches of solid ground. These swamps weren't dissimilar to the ones on Tanaab, and he'd learned to navigate them before he learned how to read. He kept his senses open and spread them throughout the surrounding landscape, hoping to catch any nearby predators before they pounced on the small party.

 

[Magos Otahn]

Magos had met Korsak on his homeworld of Naboo, and while in the end he did not sign on for the mission Edwast proposed, they had gotten along well enough, with a bit of pyschometric rivalry between them. He hoped to show up his vulpine friend on this little expedition. He grinned a bit at the teasing he gave Ana, but called him off a bit, "Korsak, I know our friend may not be in her ... element ... here, but she did provide the intel. Lets keep things, classy." He chuckled a bit at that word, he wasn't quite done with the little aristocrat yet.

He knelt down and ran a kicked up river stone through his hands: Mud, rain, drenched in spores, young mushrooms, native stepping, the scorch of blaster fire, flood, a dying clone, a predator resting on top, a barefoot cultist. "The Sith were hear at one point for sure, but a while ago, we're talking old, at least a hundred years or more." He smiled at Korsak, Your turn. "You were wise to bring two of the cult's finest pychometrists with you, dear Ana."

In the distance a deep roar was followed by some prey type's gasping scream. A flight of large insects were scattered to the air by the commotion. While sparring and teasing were fun, he knew they should keep moving, lest the hunters became the prey. "Fun as our little chat is, I'd advise we get moving. Ana, your mission, why don't you take point."

@The Captain
@Painus