Ask Inner Peace

[Vinry Forge]

Temple of Eedit, Devaron​

It had been two days now since their arrival on Devaron, and many a task had begun that time. Settling in, sending out emissaries, scouting the surroundings forests, almost all the Jedi who had arrived on Devaron had been busy since their arrival. The task that had fallen to the two of them though, was one she was most excited about, exploring the Temple. She had explored many a ruin, on many a planet, but what they had discovered on Eedit in these two days had been more exciting than a lifetime of exploration. An ancient temple sitting on a nexus in the Force, that was something unique.

So far the Jedi had managed to explore the upper levels, the sections they could that is. Time and time again they had stumbled upon sealed off corridors, doors that refused to open, and many an opening that revealed chambers beyond but were simply too small for anyone to pass through. Luckily the journals that had led them here spoke of this, of a secret hidden deep within the temple that would open up the secrets of the temple to them.

So they had prepared, armed with glow rods and scanners, ready to delve into the Temple's heart and unlock its secrets. Provided it was willing to open up to them. With how strong the Force was here, it almost felt like the Temple had a will of its own.

"Ready?" She asked the padawan who was to accompany her, unable to get a read on him through the helmet that covered his face. A Mandalorian Jedi, she had definitely picked an interesting time to return to the Order.

@Snek

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias didn't usually partake in these types of missions but he wanted to help the Order more than just fighting. That meant doing things that sometimes weren't his favorite pastime and he just learned to accept it. The temple in question had already somewhat been explored, at least the upper levels but the rest of it was still unscratched. He had navigated ruins before and felt like it would be another typical run but he could easily be wrong. It was a temple and the last time he sought one, he found a crazy old man who couldn't be pulled apart from his statues.

But when he arrived on the planet with the others, he could already sense the difference. It was a nexus and the force oozed from it freely as he could perceive its direction from the temple. It would be the first time Elias had actually gotten close to one and the force that flowed from it and into him was exhilarating. He had his lightsaber clipped to his side but he was mostly armed with glow rods and a scanner as well, the scouts had already given the signal that most of the danger had been cleared or passed. They were there just to discover the rest of the rooms.

Elias wasn't alone and was with Vinry and a padawan he hadn't met before, a Mandalorian one at that. He had already flown with Vinry and knew that the Jedi was a capable pilot and could easily handle herself. He actually quite like how she thought and was happy to work with her again. The padawan was a different answer but he knew of the stories about the Mandalorians and that they were not a joke to trifle with.

When Vinry asked if they were ready, Elias turned slightly to peer at the both of them, "This shouldn't be too bad. Scouts didn't report anything too big or scary hiding away in the temple for us." There was always something in this galaxy hiding away in abandoned places but they got lucky this time and he didn't mind at all.

 

[Xaissir Solus]

Xaissir couldn't help but stare at the temple that was before them. He had heard of temples long lost to time due to multiple reasons. Some to the Jedi, some to the Sith, but all of them were some great importance to each side. Be it for good or bad. It felt like he was being stared down by the biggest Krayt Dragon he had ever come across. Like an invisible pressure was coming down on him. His attention snapped down to the two knights that were with him as they were tasked with exploring as deep as they could go in to the temple. Xaissir took a deep breath to calm his nerves before nodding, "I'm ready. Let's get this done." He hummed to the two as he tightened the straps for his armor on his arms.

@Wit @Orbit

 

[Vinry Forge]

"I wish you hadn't said that," Vinry said with a smile on her lips as Elias joined them, "watch as we discover a Rancor nest under the Temple." She wasn't really that superstitious, but making fun of assuming something would be easy was a Jedi tradition. As Xaissir asserted his readiness to begin she nodded and began moving through the Temple and making for the stairway that would lead them to the lower levels. Or to be more specific the lower level, no had explored beyond that level so they had no idea if there was anything further down.

As they walked she tried to engage the padawan in conversation, it was the first time she had met him, and his circumstances were rather unique. "So, padawan Solus, how long since you joined the Jedi? What was life for you before the Order?" Ducking under a collapsed column that blocked the end of the stairway, she pulled out one of the glow rods she had brought along for the expedition, it's faint glow soon illuminating the wide chamber the stairs had brought them to in a soft glow.

They found themselves in a wide chamber, a number of exits leading to other sections of the complex. She was about to say something when she spotted something from the corner of her eyes, she whipped around to better illuminate the distant war to the side, but spotted nothing but rubble and cobwebs.

"Did," she began, scanning the room unsuccessfully for whatever she had thought she had seen, "did you see that?" Her voice would trail off as she spoke, words becoming soft whispers that would be hard for her companions to hear as she wondered if she was imagining things.

But the vision, or the beginnings of it, would have been unique to her, the others beset with challenges of their own as the Temple reacted to their presence. Unknown to them, whatever trials waited for them had begun.

@Snek @Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias offered a smile back at Vinry as she suggested they could discover a Rancor nest under the tower. "Well, if you keep speaking like that, I'm sure that nest will manifest itself." From what they said at that point, there had to be something in the temple waiting for them but they would cross that bridge when they get to it. The padawan joined them and did the smart thing of just making a claim that they were ready to proceed.

As they walked through the outer shell of the temple and ducked under collapsed architecture, Elias chuckled as he heard the questions dictated for the Mandalorian. He was in front of the group and chuckled softly but loud enough that both of them could hear, "Don't worry, Vinry doesn't bite." Even though it was true, he had witnessed how she had taken out the pirates and he knew he didn't want to be on the other side of her blade. But after his comment, he let the two of them talk freely if they wanted to as he would just assign himself the job of glowstick duty.

When they entered the wide chamber, another glowstick was placed in the center of the room and he was about to place one at each exit before Vinry called out to the both of them. Elias snapped his gaze toward her with an eyebrow arched before making his way over. He would stop when he was shoulder to shoulder with Vinry, his eyes on the spot that she had indicated. "Was it a Rancor?" It was a joke from their earlier conversation but before he could add anything else, his name echoed softly from one of the exits in the room, a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.

Elias whipped his head in the direction of the exit that it came from, the voice oddly familiar to him. He couldn't tell if the others had heard it or if his mind was playing tricks on him. After a few moments, he ignored whatever the voice had been and eventually returned his gaze to the other two, "Let's keep our heads on straight. Still, a lot to explore before we can clear this place." Hearing his name unsettled him but he chalked it up to be a trick of the wind.

 

[Vinry Forge]

When Elias had heard his name, Vinry had spotted whatever it was once more, off to the other side. But yet again she spotted nothing when she turned her focus in that direction. She couldn't sense any malice around them, so she didn't think they were in any immediate danger, but with how strong the Force was here she couldn't help but be a little cautious. Thankfully Elias suggested they continue onwards and that pulled her back to focus on continue their exploration. "Yeah," she replied with a nod, "let's continue. Which passa.." Her question trailed off as a gentle breeze woke up around them, and before either of them could try and question a breeze inside an underground chamber the light in her hand went out and they were plunged into darkness.

Vinry called out to Elias, but her voice echoed around her, and when she reached out to find him her hands passed to empty air. Her eyes did slowly adjust to the darkness around her, and she noticed a faint glow not far ahead, which lightly illuminated her surroundings. She couldn't see Elias, so she started moving towards the light, assuming that he might do the same. As she got closer her surroundings didn't get any easier to see, but she could sense that something had changed. She no longer felt the hard floor of a ruined hall under her feet, but the soft undergrowth of a forrest floor.

She reached the light, and paused for a second, looking around and calling out to Elias one last time before stepping through.

@Orbit

 

[Xaissir Solus]

Xaissir nodded to the question asked to him by Vinry, "Not that long ago. A few years?" He hummed out as he tried to think how long it had truly been since he had become an official padawan. Her next question made him chuckle under his helmet, "Survive. That's all any Mandalorian can do. I learned to survive." He said quite bluntly, though he was trying to be rude. He was telling the truth, for he was taught how to live. Hunting, keeping himself alive, and some fighting techniques that could help him in sticky situations. Before he could continue, however, Vinry seemed to jerk their light source in a certain direction, asking if they saw something. His attention snapped to where she thought she did, but seeing nothing only made him shake his head. This, however, put him on edge. Was there something in there with them, like Elias was mentioning? His gaze slowly scanned around, as if looking for signs of something living there.

In an instant, their light source went out. He hand snapped to his lightsaber hilt, ready to ignite it and fight whatever was about to come at them. His body tightened like a spring, muscles clenched and ready to react to anything that was thrown his way. Xaissir took small steps, as if trying to feel out the area he had just seen....but something was different. It no longer felt like stone. He called out to the other two, but got nothing in return. What was going on?!

@Wit @Orbit

 

[Elias Ryn]

The group of Jedi proceeded on but not very far. The light they had been huddled around was extinguished and drowned them in darkness. It was nearly impossible to see through if it wasn't for the distant light at the end. Elias quickly stretched out his arm to feel around him to see if he could catch one of the others quickly before they got too separated. He stared at the light for a few seconds before starting to head in that direction and hoping for the best outcome and that the others would be there.

But about halfway there, Elias stopped as he spotted a door to the side with a cone of light shining directly above it to highlight the entrance. It made him stop in his tracks as he recognized it instantly. There had been a triangle etched into the door frame with a knife and it had been by him when he was a kid. Even from where he was, he could hear voices on the other side of the door, hushed tones that stroked his memories of a very specific day. He stepped towards the door but that's when a group of men approached it.

They were adorned in Cartel armor and insignia as they lined up against the door and got into position. One of them gave a nod and the biggest one of the group stepped forward, holding a personal battering ram as he slammed it against the door. Elias immediately ran towards the door but then he heard the sound of his name pierce through the vision and seize his attention. His gaze snapped toward the direction of the light and with reluctance and pain, he began to step back before running towards the light.

After both Vinry and Xaissir stepped into the light, it would only be a minute or so until Elias finally emerged. They would be able to see him stare in the direction they came from for a few pointed seconds but he eventually turned his attention back to them. "Well, it seems the temple is welcoming us." He didn't share what he saw, at least not yet as he didn't know what it meant itself. It was the night he had left his home and his parents and it frustrated him that it wasn't left untouched. "Again, let's keep our heads on straight."